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    Erectile dysfunction or "ED" is defined as the inability to obtain or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual activity. It is the most widely studied disorder of male sexual function. Other less publicized disorders include: disorders of sexual desire, ejaculatory and orgasm disturbances, as well as disorders involving penile pain or curvature. ED is highly prevalent in the adult male population, and may effect as many as 50% of men between the ages of 40-70 years old.

    In order to develop an erection, blood must be able to rapidly enter the male penis through two small arteries that course through the lower pelvis, just under the scrotum. The trigger for this blood flow event lies within the muscles that line the inside of the penis which relax involuntarily when there is sexual stimulation. Over the last 15 years a large amount of research has gone into defining the physiology of male erections. What has become clear is that for a man to develop a satisfactory erection there must be adequate blood flow, a well functioning nervous system, and a reasonable level of circulating male hormones such as testosterone. Diseases that affect any of these body systems can cause ED. In fact, population studies have confirmed that age, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and low male hormone levels are significant risk factors for the development of ED. In addition, there are a large number of medications that are used to treat these disorders which may also cause ED.

    Prior to the late 1990s, the only treatment available to men with ED were medications that could be injected directly into the penis, a vacuum canister that was applied to the outside of the penis and created an erection through suction, and surgical placement of a prosthetic device into the penis and scrotum. While these treatment options are still available, and provide very satisfactory results in many men with ED, they are not the first choice for the majority of men with ED. What was clearly needed was a pill that could be taken to improve erections.

    Brain implant allows control of robotic arm

    31st March 2005 07:58 PM

    RHODE ISLAND: Progress in the development of neural prosthetics made another leap forwards today with the announcement of a brain-computer interface that allowed a paralyzed man to control a robotic arm. Matt Nagle, paralyzed from the neck down after a vicious knife attack four years ago, was able to open and close the hand of a prosthetic arm and use it to grab sweets from one person’s hand then drop them in another. Scientists lead by Professor John Donahue, a world neurotechnology expert at Brown University in Rhode Island, hopes the interface, an implant called BrainGate, will allow paraplegics to regain the use of their limbs.

    Matthew Nagle, 25, was left paralyzed in 2001. He uses a wheelchair and cannot breathe without a respirator, and doctors say he will never regain use of his limbs. After an operation at New England Sinai Hospital in Massachusetts, he has become the first patient in a trial of brain implants which could help disabled people become more independent by decoding their brain activity.

    Nagle become involed in the trial of the BrainGate implant after hearing about John Donahue, a professor of neuroscience at Brown University, whose company Cyberkinetics has developed the experimental interface. With a tiny array of 96 hair-thin electrodes on an implant the size of a poker chip, the interface is pressed onto the surface of the brain above the region of the sensory motor cortex responsible for arm and hand movement. With the electrodes in position, the section of skull cut away to insert the implant is replaced with a tiny wire through it connecting the electrodes to a metallic plate that sits on the head.

    Donahue’s team found that some simple rules held governing the neuronal activity responsible for movement of the hand and arm. If the brain willed the hand to move right, certain cells fired a rapid series of impulses. If it was willing the hand to move left, the cells fired in a different pattern. Other information about the hand’s intended destination, trajectory and speed of movement is also encoded in the electrical signals of the neurons.

    The technology is still in its infancy however. Movement is erratic, and though the scientists hope Matt may be able to train himself to better control, software may be needed to smooth out prosthetic motion. For many paralyzed people though, regaining even the most minor independence would make the implants worthwhile. "One fellow said to me, ‘I just want to be able to scratch my nose’," said Donahue. "It’s easy to forget the kinds of extraordinary things people can’t accomplish. If you can do something that lets them reach out to the world even a little, it can make a huge difference."

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