Keith Thomas, a quadriplegic after an accident, is finally able to move his arms again after having implants in his brain during surgery using artificial intelligence.
- Keith Thomas, 45, was left completely paralyzed after an accident in a swimming pool in the summer of 2020.
- He was the first patient in a clinical trial to benefit from an operation using AI to implant microchips in his brain in order to “reconnect” the organ to the spinal cord.
- This intervention allowed him to regain sensations and movement abilities in his right arm.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not just for answering our questions through chatbot or writing our mails/reviews/articles. It is also studied by the medical world to assist doctors in their diagnoses, the treatment of certain cancers… and even operations. Keith Thomas, a 45-year-old American, quadriplegic for three years, was able to regain movement and sensation in one arm since surgery using AI.
Artificial intelligence has reconnected his brain with the rest of the body
Keith Thomas had lost the use of all of his limbs in the summer of 2020 after breaking his neck and parts of his spine while diving in a friend’s pool. When he woke up, when the doctors told him he was totally paralyzed, the forties decided to fight. “I’m a real New Yorker and I wanted everything [se répare] right away”he told the New York Post. His hope of regaining some autonomy will come from a new clinical trial from the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in Manhasset. The latter seeks to restore the motor functions of paralyzed people through surgery based on artificial intelligence.
During a 15-hour operation last March, the medical team implanted five microchips in Keith’s brain. This computer technology, with the help of AI, has (re)connected his brain with his spinal cord and the rest of his body.
Dr. Ashesh Mehta, director of the Institute’s Laboratory of Human Brain Mapping, which took part in this world-first operation, praised the patient’s determination. “There was something special about Keith”did he declare. “We knew he had the strength, the right attitude, the perseverance to do the right thing.”
Surgery with AI: hope for many diseases
The operation was a success. Four months after surgery, Keith Thomas has regained sensation and the ability to move his right arm towards his face.
Also interviewed by the New York Post, his sister was delighted with his progress: “It means so much to me that he can get a taste of independence. We take for granted what we can do, from brushing our teeth to taking a sip of water whenever we want”. “It’s been a long road to get to this point”acknowledged Keith Thomas, whose next goal is to brush his teeth alone.
“This is the first time that a paralyzed person regains movement and sensation by electronically connecting their brain, body and spinal cord”explained Chad Bouton, professor Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, to the American newspaper. “We could continue to help millions of people around the world and perhaps with an even wider range of conditions.” His institution is working to develop AI-infused surgeries that can treat conditions like blindness, deafness, ALS, seizures, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease.