Researchers recently reported that three men who were paralyzed in motorcycle accidents and lost control or sensation over their legs were able to take supported steps within one day of turning on the electrical stimulation and could wander outside using a walker a few months after.
A Science report specified that the three men involved in the said vehicular accident had become the first stories of success for a new spinal stimulation device that could allow speedier and easier recoveries than its predecessors.
Described as a "nerve-stimulating device," this method does not cure spinal cord injury, and it possibly would not eliminate the use of chairs although it's raising hopes that the assistive technology is practical enough for general use.
According to biomedical engineer and neuroscientist Vivian Mushahwar from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, this result she would call "a big deal."
Edmonton, who was not part of the study, added it adds a refinement level that allows these methods to make it to the clinic and hopefully help many people.
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When such a trigger is turned on, even some patients who have complete paraplegia or no sensation or movement in the lower body can walk following extensive training with assistance from a therapist or supportive devices.
Epidural Stimulation Devices
When trauma seriously impairs the bundle of nerves making up an individual's spinal cord, the electrical signals, as described in an Insider report of the brain, no longer reach the body's muscles, leading to paralysis.
Nevertheless, epidural stimulation devices, thin sheets of electrodes embedded underneath the vertebra or the lower spine can re-create such commands outside the injury area and stimulate leg movements.
When such a trigger is turned on, even some patients who have complete paraplegia or no sensation or movement in the lower body can walk following extensive training with assistance from a therapist or supportive devices.
However, spinal cord stimulators, devised in the 1980s for chronic pain treatment, were not designed with spinal cord injury in mind, explained neuroscientist Grégoire Courtine from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne.
Electrode Strips
One of the problems with the present implants is the shape. They comprise a narrow silicone strip targeting the center of the spinal cord to disrupt pain signals going up the brain.
To trigger movements of the torso and leg, researchers need to stimulate the dorsal roots, pairs of thick sensory fibers that extend from any side of the spinal cord.
Courtine explained that the present electrode strips are too short to reach the dorsal roots that regulate the trunk and allow bending and straightening of the torso.
Consequently, he and his colleagues developed a longer and wider implant, approximately the size of a pointer finger.
To position electrodes along its surface to accurately simulate the dorsal roots, the study authors examined cadavers and images of healthy spines.
Once the new designs had been developed, they used computer models for the prediction of the ideal position of the implant on each of the spinal cords of the patient.
Electrical Stimulation
The team developed software to stimulate the electrodes in set patterns that produce movements like stepping or standing up to get results.
According to Mayo Clinic neuroscientist Peter Grahn, standard epidural implants deliver uniform, recurring pulses of electricity.
He explained patterned stimulation might contribute to the retention of damaged networks of nerves in the spinal cord to better get and interpret indications coming down from the brain preserved following spinal cord injury.
However, according to a similar The Straits Times report, just how the electrical stimulation interacts with spinal networks, and in turn, the comparative advantages of the two methods are not yet clear.
Related information about the new spinal implant that could help paralyzed people walk again is shown on CBS Philly's YouTube video below:
RELATED ARTICLE: Scientists Developed New Therapy That Reverses Paralysis, Promotes 'Functional Recovery' From Spinal Cord Injury
Check out more news and information on Paralysis in Science Times.
