The future potential of the sixth finger study

Polydactyly (多指症. Polydactyly) refers to a disease born with more than 6 fingers. However, a paper containing the content that research on polydism can lead to cyborgs such as future science fiction works has been published in the international scientific journal Nature Communications and attracts attention.

As a result of carrying out an experiment to hold an object, the sixth finger is capable of holding objects like other fingers, and is often used with the thumb and index finger. This is the result of a research team at the University of Freiburg, Germany, conducted an experiment on the sixth function in two subjects with polydiasis.

Two subjects were a 17-year-old boy and a 51-year-old housewife, with the sixth finger positioned between the thumb and index finger. It is known that the probability of having a polydactymic baby is 0.2% and polydity is genetic.

As a result of giving the subject a controller with six buttons and having them play the game, a person with five fingers scored with both hands, and a six-finger holder achieved this with only one hand. It can be said that the subject’s hand has a higher function than the normal five fingers.

As a result of an MRI scan on the subject’s hand, it can be seen that the sixth finger has a separate saddle joint, nerves, and muscles. In addition, as a result of examining the movement of the subject’s motor area by MRI, it was found that the sixth finger in the brain has an independent nerve function in the other finger. In other words, the subject’s sixth finger can operate in the same way as five fingers.

In the science fiction work, a character with a finger added in the form of a prosthetic appears. The research team says the results indicate that it is worth attaching artificial fingers in addition to the usual five fingers. The results of this study that the subject can develop the sixth finger nerve at the same level as other fingers suggests the possibility that even if additional limbs are installed on the body like a cyborg, they can be integrated and controlled with existing body parts without movement disorder and sensory discomfort Is to do. Related information can be found here .