Paralyzed man walks again thanks to 'digital bridge' that wirelessly reconnects brain and spinal cord
It was reported that a man who became partially paralyzed could walk again by implanting a device that wirelessly transmits and receives electrical signals generated when he wants to walk.
Walking naturally after spinal cord injury using a brain–spine interface |
Brain–spine interface allows paralysed man to walk using his thoughts
Gerd Jan Oskam, who injured his spinal cord in his neck in a cycling accident in 2011, left his legs and arms partially paralyzed.
After the accident, Mr. Oscam participated as a subject in an implant experiment conducted by Mr. Gregoire Cortine, a neuroscientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne. Through experiments, Cortine et al. demonstrated that technology that stimulates the lower spine with electrical pulses can help people with spinal cord injuries walk again.
Mr. Oscam's progress was observed after that, but after three years the improvement was plateaued. Therefore, Mr. Cortine and his colleagues newly inserted an implant into Mr. Oscam's skull, combined it with the spinal implant that was already in Mr. Oscam's body, and started an experiment to send and receive brain signals.
An implant inserted into the skull is placed over the area of the brain that controls the movement of the legs and decodes the electrical signals generated when Mr. Oscam wants to 'walk.' This signal is wirelessly transmitted and decoded by a computer worn by Mr. Oscam, and the information is sent to the spinal implant. The sequence of electrical signals thus sent stimulates the leg muscles in the correct order, allowing them to walk.
After about 40 rehabilitation sessions, Mr. Oscam is reported to have regained the ability to move his legs voluntarily. ``The previous device was like receiving a pre-programmed stimulus, but now I can control the stimulus with my thoughts. Stop, walk, climb stairs, etc. We can do it,” he said.
In the video below, you can see how Mr. Oscam is actually walking.
Paralysed man able to stand and walk with an aid after doctors implant device-YouTube
Such spontaneous movements were not possible with spinal cord stimulation alone, and it has also been suggested that training with the new device encouraged further recovery of nerve cells that had not been completely severed at the time of the accident. Also, if you use crutches, you can walk short distances without the device.
One of Oscam's skull implants was removed due to an infection about five months after it was put in. But Jocelyn Bloch, who was involved in the study, argued, 'The risks are small compared to the benefits. There's always a small risk of infection or bleeding, but it's so small that it's worth the risk.' bottom.
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