Question: Need help with a brief summary (3-4 sentences) of this research for a lay audience. (Do not simpl...
Need help with a brief summary (3-4 sentences) of this research for a lay audience. (Do not simply edit or paraphrase the original; write a new summary as you would for a news article.)
The following summary appeared in a paper in PLOS Biology.
"Despite scientific and technological advances, communication has remained impossible for persons suffering from complete motor paralysis but intact cognitive and emotional processing, a condition that is called completely locked-in state. Brain–computer interfaces based on neuroelectrical technology (like an electroencephalogram) have failed at providing patients in a completely locked-in state with means to communicate. Therefore, here we explored if a brain–computer interface based on functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)—which measures brain hemodynamic responses associated with neuronal activity—could overcome this barrier. Four patients suffering from advanced amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), two of them in permanent completely locked-in state and two entering the completely locked-in state without reliable means of communication, learned to answer personal questions with known answers and open questions requiring a “yes” or “no” by using frontocentral oxygenation changes measured with fNIRS. These results are, potentially, the first step towards abolition of completely locked-in states, at least for patients with ALS."
For people suffering from ALS [ Amytrophic lateral sclerosis], communication has always been a challenge, forcing them to be completely unable to express their feelings and emotions. As a step to overcome this challenge, a new technique which uses functional near infra-red spectroscopy [ fNIRS] for brain-computer interface, has been developed. In this technique brain hemodynamic responses associated with neuronal activity can be measured. This technique could be tested successfully on four ALS patients- two with permanent locked in state, and two on the verge of entering the completely locked in state. These patients could answer simple personal questions and even open ended questions with 'yes' or 'no'. This could be done by using the fNIRS technique to measure frontocentral oxygenation changes in these patients. The results are considered as a breakthrough in making communication somewhat easier for people suffering from ALS.
Question: Need help with a brief summary (3-4 sentences) of this research for a lay audience....
Please prepare an introduction, summary and response from article below: 'Should All Research Papers Be Free?' DRAWING comparisons to Edward Snowden, a graduate student from Kazakhstan named Alexandra Elbakyan is believed to be hiding out in Russia after illegally leaking millions of documents. While she didn’t reveal state secrets, she took a stand for the public’s right to know by providing free online access to just about every scientific paper ever published, on topics ranging from acoustics to zymology. Her...