Researchers at Northwestern University have come up with a way for patients who are paralyzed due to a severed spinal cord to perform basic limb movement--think opening and closing a hand--just by thinking about the process. Dubbed "eavesdropping," the researchers created an algorithm that can process recorded neural signals from the brain, Medgadget reports. The processed signals then are sent to a functional electronic stimulation system implanted in the arm, which allows for movement. The process was tested on monkeys who were temporarily paralyzed using a local anesthetic. The monkeys were found to be able to pick up a ball almost as successfully as normal. Article