It is the stuff of nightmares: trapped in an immobilized body, unable to move a finger or bat an eyelid, yet with sight and hearing and thought undiminished. The impulse to whisper, "I love you," or to scream, "I am in pain," is smothered by one's own unresponsive muscles. To the outside world, you are all but dead. Inside, you burn with life.
Neurologists call patients who are totally paralyzed "locked-in," and diagnoses of Lou Gehrig's disease or a brain-stem stroke are among the most feared of all neurological disorders. Doctors often counsel patients and their loved ones to opt against life support before becoming fully locked-in, because such a life is thought to be unbearable.
But a German neuroscientist has found a way to give voice to 11 patients around the world with a device that converts mental activity into computer commands. His experience has led him to challenge the prevailing medical assumption that locked-in lives are not worth living.
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