with groundbreaking new features The study was published in the journal earlier this month Naturea team of neuroscientists and other researchers details how electrical devices implanted in a paralyzed man’s brain and spinal cord helped him walk and even climb the stars. .
[Related: The slow, but promising progress of electrode therapy for paralysis.]
The implant communicates wirelessly and fuses two experimental techniques being developed to treat paralysis. His one of the devices is inserted into the skull and placed above the surface of the brain. It decodes patterns related to walking and sends signals to her second device implanted in her spinal cord. Electrodes then stimulate the spinal cord in a precise sequence to activate the leg muscles needed for walking.
According to study authors, the device provides a “digital bridge” between the brain and spinal cord that bypasses the injured area of the spinal cord. The Brain-Spine Interface uses an artificial intelligence thought decoder to read your brain’s intentions. These intentions are detected as electrical signals in the brain that match muscle movements.
The patient in this new study is Gerd Jan Oskam, a 40-year-old man from the Netherlands. Paralyzed in a bicycle accident in 2011. According to Oscam, he underwent an experimental spinal cord stimulator in 2017 and lost the ability to walk. Onward Medical CEO Dave Marber. A biotechnology company based in the Netherlands manufactures spinal devices used in research.
“We captured Gerd Jan’s thoughts and transformed these thoughts into spinal cord stimulation to re-establish voluntary movements,” said study co-author and spinal cord specialist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. Mr. Gregoire Courtine, the house, said. said at a press conference. according to new york times.
Using such a brain-computer interface allows for more natural movement than using spinal cord stimulation alone. Oskamu can now stop mid-walk, adjust his stride, and navigate uneven terrain such as stairs.
Previously, the Onward Medical device was used in a study to restore the ability to walk in nine patients by mapping the neurons associated with the body’s complex instructions for walking. Marber said Washington Post He said it would probably be five years before the company could commercialize a system like the one used in the study, and his aspirations are even broader. “Ultimately, our vision is that people with paralysis will be able to see a doctor and choose the functions they want to restore,” he said.
[Related: I became a cyborg to manage my chronic pain.]
The brain implants used in the study were developed by Crinatech and a French government-backed research institute called CEA.
Several Limitations This study includes the difficulty of distinguishing between subtle intentions in the brain, and the same brain-spine interface used for walking may not be suitable for recovery of upper-body motion. . The treatment is also invasive, requiring multiple surgeries and hours of physical therapy. As it stands, this system does not solve all spinal cord palsy.
This study is one of many recent advances in spinal cord injury treatment. In 2016, a group of scientists restored the ability to walk in paralyzed monkeys. 2018scientists discovered a way to stimulate the brain using an electrical pulse generator, allowing partially paralyzed people to walk and bike again.