JUDY WOODRUFF:

For decades, researchers have worked to create a better and more direct connection between a human brain and a computer to improve the lives of people who are paralyzed or have severe limb weakness from diseases like ALS.

Those advances have been notable, but now the work is yielding groundbreaking results.

Special correspondent Cat Wise has the story.

It's part of our Breakthroughs reporting and for our weekly segment about the Leading Edge of science and technology.