Stimulant for paralytics
Electrical stimulation of the spinal cord allowed the paralytics to take up rowing and swimming
Anastasia Kuznetsova-Fantoni, N+1
Swiss neurosurgeons implanted electrodes into the spinal cord of three paralyzed patients, which were remotely controlled by a computer program simulating their natural activity. Computer-controlled electrical stimulation allowed the men to walk, rowing, swimming and cycling, although they could not regain spontaneous activity without stimulation. The study was published in Nature Medicine (Rowald et al., Activity-dependent spinal cord neuromodulation rapidly restores trunk and leg motor functions after complete paralysis).
During epidural stimulation of the spinal cord, electrodes are placed in the space between the spine and the spinal cord, which activate nerve fibers. This technology has been used for the treatment and rehabilitation of patients with spinal cord injuries for many years, and during this time neurologists have achieved significant success.
Neurosurgeons Gregoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne with colleagues from Germany, the USA and France improved the technique of electrical stimulation and offered treatment to three men with leg paralysis. Using computer modulation, doctors calculated the optimal location of the electrodes above the spinal cord, in which they will activate various muscle groups involved in walking. Then the researchers developed a computer program that, by sending signals to the implants, simulates the natural activity of motor neurons. Implants can be controlled remotely, which gives patients freedom of movement.
On the same day when the implants were activated, the patients were able to take their first steps. Scientists have created several programs that control different types of physical activity. Thus, patients were able not only to walk, but also to ride a tricycle, rowing, and swimming. In order to re-master these classes, patients first practiced on simulators, and then were able to continue training on real sports equipment. After five months of regular training, they managed to re-build the muscles that had atrophied during the illness.
Despite the fact that the men managed to regain a significant amount of movement, they did not demonstrate spontaneous activity without electrical stimulation. Two participants were able to independently modulate leg movements, which the doctors considered to be the activity of the preserved nerve fibers of the spinal cord.
Another promising method of treating spinal cord injuries is the introduction of neural progenitor stem cells into it. While doctors have only proved the safety of this method in clinical trials, in the future doctors will have to evaluate the effectiveness of the procedure.
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