WYSS CENTER

The technology used in the study works by measuring blood oxygenation and electrical activity in the brain. So far it is the only successful approach to restore communication to people who have complete locked-in syndrome.

A man with locked-in syndrome has managed to communicate thanks to breakthrough technology - only to shatter his daughters dreams of love.

The 61-year-old, known only as Patient B, was one of four people testing a brain-computer interface developed by researchers at Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva that allows patients to communicate by responding to questions with "yes" or "no".

The new non-invasive technology is able to interpret answers to questions by detecting changes of blood oxygen levels in the brain.

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The film "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" tells the story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, a French actor and author who suffered from locked-in syndrome and wrote a memoir by blinking with his left eye.

When the man's daughter's boyfriend asked for permission to marry her, the patient responded with: "No."

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But love won out in the end - the daughter eventually married the rejected future-son-in-law, despite her father's response, lead investigator Professor Niels Birbaumer told The Guardian. 

The system is around 70 per cent accurate, however, the response to the request was negative nine times, and positive just once, leaving little room for doubt. 

The researchers said they were surprised at the upbeat responses when they questioned the patients about their quality of life. 

"All four had accepted artificial ventilation in order to sustain their life, when breathing became impossible; thus, in a sense, they had already chosen to live," Birbaumer said.

 - Stuff