Brain implant gives touch sensation back to man with quadriplegia

Keith Thomas, a 48-year-old who lost feeling and movement below his neck after a diving accident in 2020, received a brain-computer interface implant in 2023 as part of an experimental study.

The device delivers tiny electrical pulses to both the brain and spinal cord. After activation, Thomas was able to lift his arms, move his shoulders and report feeling the touch of his dog’s fur for the first time since his injury.

Researchers hailed the result as a promising step toward restoring sensation in spinal-cord injury patients, but they cautioned that it remains a single-subject trial and broader translation is still uncertain.