The brain of one monkey has been used to control the movements of another, “avatar”, monkey, US scientists report.

Brain scans read the master monkey’s mind and were used to electrically stimulate the avatar’s spinal cord, resulting in controlled movement.

The team hope the method can be refined to allow paralysed people to regain control of their own body.

The findings, published in Nature Communications, have been described as “a key step forward”.

Damage to the spinal cord can stop the flow of information from the brain to the body, leaving people unable to walk or feed themselves.

The researchers are aiming to bridge the damage with machinery.