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Electrically stimulating a specific area of the brain can help people with spinal cord injuries walk more easily, scientists said Monday, after a patient said the technique overcame his fear of stairs. How did you manage?
The new technique is aimed at people with spinal cord injuries where the connection between their brain and spinal cord has not been completely severed and who still have some movement in their legs.
Wolfgang Jaeger, one of the two patients who took part in the initial trial, said it immediately made a “huge difference” to his mobility.
“Now when I see a ladder with just a few steps, I know I can handle it myself,” the 54-year-old said in a video released alongside the new study in the journal Nature Medicine.
The research, carried out by a Swiss team, has led to several recent breakthroughs, including allowing several paralyzed patients to walk again using electrical stimulation of the spinal cord.
This time, the researchers wanted to find out which area of the brain is most responsible for recovery from spinal cord injuries.
‘I feel like walking’
Using 3D imaging techniques to map the brain activity of mice with these injuries, the team created what they call a “comprehensive brain atlas.”
They were surprised to find that the brain region they were looking for was in the lateral hypothalamus, otherwise known as a regulator for motivation, feeding, and motivation.
A particular group of neurons in this region “appears to be involved in the recovery of locomotion after spinal cord injury,” neuroscientist Gregoire Courtin at Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne told AFP.
Next, the team tried to boost the signal from these neurons using a technique called deep brain stimulation, which is commonly used to treat movement problems in people with Parkinson’s disease. It happens.
It involves the surgeon placing electrodes in the brain area, which are connected to a device implanted in the patient’s chest. When the switch is on, the device sends electrical pulses to the brain.
First, the team tested their theory on mice and rats, which found it “immediately” improved walking, the study said.
The first human participant in the 2022 Swiss trial was a woman with an incomplete spinal cord injury similar to Jaeger’s.
Neurosurgeon Jocelyn Bloch told AFP that when the woman’s device was first turned on, she said: “I can feel my legs.”
When they picked up the electric current, the women said, “I feel like walking,” according to Bloch.
Patients could turn on their device whenever needed, and underwent months of rehabilitation and strength training.
The woman’s goal was to walk independently without a walker, while Jagger’s goal was to climb stairs by himself.
“They both reached their goals,” Bloch said.
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