Technology enhances lives of the disabled
New research uncovers marvels of the mind
Story and photos By DEBORAH A. MILES A new technology called ECoG is making
a difference in the lives of people who suffer from epilepsy, but also has research scientists fascinated with its findings and possibilities. PEF member Gerwin Schalk, a research
scientist at the state Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center in Albany, has played an integral role in ECoG, or electrocorticography. Schalk said ECoG is a procedure where
people with epilepsy have electrodes implanted on the surface of their brain for clinical reasons. “For people with epilepsy who have
occasional seizures that progress to more frequent seizures, this procedure can be life-changing,” Schalk said. “If the epilepsy cannot be controlled with medications, this technique allows doctors to determine where exactly in the brain is the part creating the seizures and remove that part.” To a layman, just the thought of any
type of brain surgery can be traumatic. Schalk said to a neurosurgeon, it’s a relatively simple procedure that takes about two hours. A surgeon makes an incision, removes
some part of the skull, pulls back the skin around the brain, and places electrode sensors on the brain. The sensors are left on the brain for a week and then removed.
Page 18—The Communicator October 2011 During that week Schalk monitors
brain signals. “The findings are completely
fascinating,” Schalk said. “These electrodes are placed where the action of the brain is, so we get very specific details about brain function. We can get a lot of information. The brain can tell us what vowel and consonant is in a word someone is speaking or imagining. This technique is high- science fiction in a lot of ways.”
Saying yes to science Approximately 1,500 people in the
U.S. with epilepsy agreed to the procedure and some of them allowed Schalk to do research. They run the gamut from the very young to the very old, with the common thread of having a condition that leaves them subject to convulsive attacks. Schalk’s research took off in 2002, when
Dr. Eric Leuthardt, a neurosurgeon at Washington University in St. Louis, was interested in ECoG and contacted him. “We started to collaborate and our
findings have morphed into dozens of published papers about ECoG,” Schalk said. “We started working with people in other locations and most recently we are collaborating with Dr. Anthony Ritaccio at Albany Medical Center.” ECoG is an offspring of a non-invasive
technique called Brain Computer Interface (BCI), a team project led by PEF member
FASCINATING RESEARCH—Gerwin Schalk studies brain images at theWadsworth Center inAlbany. Below:Electrodes are placed on the surface of the brain tomonitor brain signals.
Dr. Jonathan Wolpaw. This technique helps a disabled person use a personal computer by wearing an electrode cap on the scalp that picks up electrical activity generated in the brain.
What the future holds “We are on the threshold of finding out
even more details of brain function,” Schalk said. “Because ECoG is an invasive technique, it’s difficult to predict where the research will take us. Science helps you realize something can be done to improve the quality of life. To actually do it, you must consider market size, commercialization and things such as appropriate reimbursement by insurance companies. These are critical aspects most scientists don’t even think about, because they only concentrate on their research. “But in the long run, this will be a great
application for severely disabled people to speed up their ability to communicate.” Schalk said his research projects are financed by several funding sources.
PEF Information Line: 1-800-553-2445
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36