On January 31, in the Brain‑Machine Interface and Neuro‑modulation ward at the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College (Beijing Tiantan Hospital Anhui Hospital), 33‑year‑old hemiplegic patient Mr. Li used his right hand — which had been incapacitated for a year — to lift a cup and slowly bring it to his mouth. This seemingly simple action witnessed a medical miracle made possible by a brain‑machine interface.

Earlier this month, the hospital successfully performed the brain‑machine interface implantation for Mr. Li. After the device was activated in his brain, the hemiplegic patient was able to volitionally control limb movements using his thoughts. This was Anhui province's first implantable brain‑machine interface surgery; its successful completion marks a crucial step toward clinical application of BMI technology in the province and represents a major innovative achievement for the provincial national regional medical center. It carries significant implications for rehabilitation treatment across various diseases and functional impairments.

A year earlier, Mr. Li suffered a cerebral hemorrhage that caused right‑sided hemiplegia; his right hand had nearly lost function — he could not even grasp an egg‑sized block, and basic daily activities such as dressing, eating, and washing were impossible without assistance. Following the successful surgery, his right‑side limb function has improved markedly: he can smoothly perform a sequence of movements including lifting the arm, grasping, and elbow flexion, and his motor function is gradually recovering.

Brain‑machine interfaces are a cutting‑edge technology at the intersection of life sciences and information sciences and constitute a key pathway to meeting major future medical needs. The surgical team, led by Professor Zhang Jianguo (director of the Brain Science Research Institute at Wannan Medical College) and Associate Professor Liu Huanguang from Beijing Tiantan Hospital, carried out the operation. By precisely implanting microelectrode arrays in stages into specific regions of the spinal cord and intracranial epidural space, they established a direct communication link between the brain and external devices, converting neural intentions into actions and enabling thought‑driven restoration of lost bodily functions.

Postoperatively, the patient's EEG signals achieved stable transmission and effective feedback, with decoding accuracy reaching as high as 95%. Evaluations show good recovery of both upper and lower limb function, with a significant increase in the upper‑limb motor function score (FMA). The previously disabled right hand can now reliably grasp a block and place it precisely where instructed, and can smoothly perform actions such as drinking. With ongoing systematic rehabilitation training and pharmacotherapy, the patient's motor‑control ability is expected to improve substantially, offering the prospect of regaining independent living and reintegrating into society.

The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College (Beijing Tiantan Hospital Anhui Hospital) is Anhui's only national regional medical center specializing in the diagnosis and research of neurological diseases. The success of this operation precisely fills a critical gap in clinical application of brain‑machine interfaces in the province. Going forward, the hospital plans to advance integrated industry‑academia‑research development driven by clinical needs, promote clinical applications of BMIs for a variety of diseases and populations with different functional impairments, further develop cutting‑edge technologies, and accelerate translation of results to benefit more patients.

Source: Anhui Daily