NEW research and technology suggest hope for those suffering from paralysis. Researchers rapidly restored motor function in three men with complete paralysis using an epidural electrical stimulation system, according to a new study published in Nature Medicine. “Thanks to this technology, we have been able to target individuals with the most serious spinal cord injury, meaning those with clinically complete spinal cord injury, with no sensation and no movement in the legs,” said lead author Grégoire Courtine, professor of neuroscience and neurotechnology at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, University Hospital Lausanne and the University of Lausanne. Even though there is no connection between the brain and the extremities after spinal cord injuries, past research has discovered that some patients with even a “complete” injury may have some connections that still function, according to Medscape. Although recent 2018 studies using stimulators to treat chronic pain in spinal cord patients have shown promise, the technology is too narrow in scope to target all regions of the spinal cord involving the control of leg and trunk movements, the report added. Ordinarily in patients without spinal cord injury, nerves in the spinal cord use signals to communicate with the brain to move the legs, but after a spinal cord injury, the nerve signals are too weak to create movement. The report noted the study inserted a paddle-shaped device that is embedded with electrodes to boost the nerve signals to allow a patient to walk, with wires from these electrodes also connected to a neurostimulator that is implanted underneath the skin in the abdomen, according to the paper. Three men participated in the study, ranging from ages 29 to 41, who all suffered a spinal cord injury due to motorcycle collisions several years prior to entering the study so that the researchers knew their injuries were stabilized, according to Medscape. The news outlet also noted the participants then used a tablet that communicated with the implanted device to select which activity they wanted to perform, such as walking or standing. But Peter J. Grahn, assistant professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Department of Neurologic Surgery, Mayo Clinic who authored one of the 2018 studies on pain using stimulators, told Medscape although this study’s technology “is a huge step forward,” he questioned the study’s definition of walking. “They say independent stepping or walking is restored on day one, but the graphs show day one function is having over 60 percent of their body weight supported when they’re taking these steps,” Grahn said. All three men were able to take up to 300 independent steps, but with body support, within days of starting the spinal stimulation, according to the paper. Because at least 6 cm of healthy spinal cord under the lesion of injury is necessary to implant the electrodes, not all paralyzed patients are eligible for the procedure. (SD-Agencies) | 