Matthew Nagle could no longer move his limbs after a spinal cord injury. Could the movement signals in his brain still operate a computer?
In research involving Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, Leigh Hochberg, John Donoghue, and colleagues used the BrainGate neural interface to investigate that question. An array of 100 tiny electrodes implanted in Nagle’s motor cortex recorded activity associated with intended movement.
A computer translated those signals into commands. Their report, published in Nature on July 13, 2006, described Nagle controlling a screen cursor and operating external devices despite severe paralysis.
The implantation and initial experiments had begun earlier, with the 2006 publication providing detailed scientific evidence of the system’s capabilities. The breakthrough demonstrated that useful movement-related signals could persist after spinal cord injury and could be redirected through a technological pathway.
Last Updated on November 6, 2026 | Published: November 6, 2026