Unlocking Erik: A Freedom Journey to Restore the Speech of Those with Locked-In Syndrome (Neuroscience Research Progress)

A locked-in person is someone who is totally paralyzed so he or she cannot speak but whose brain is nevertheless functioning properly ... a condition that is mind-numbing to contemplate. When I was given a review copy of this book by the author, my brother, I was delighted. Written in a plain style of English that makes the science clearly understandable to the lay person, Unlocking Eric tells the story of how the genesis of an idea that it should be possible to link the brain of a locked-in human being to a computer (so that he or she can communicate by talking through the machine) developed over decades through scientific research and the creation of the neurotrophic electrode that is implanted within the brain of the locked-in patient. While Eric only ever managed to say intelligible sounds, his ten years as a cyborg opened the door to the possibilities inherent in the concept of the brain-computer interface ... probably the best and most accessible scientific read this year