A pacemaker in the brain for spinal cord injury?
Oct 31, 2013 7:10:35 GMT -8
Post by DJ on Oct 31, 2013 7:10:35 GMT -8
Deep-brain stimulation, a technique used for more than a decade to manage the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, may help restore greater function and more natural movement to patients with spinal cord injuries that have left at least a few nerves intact, new research says.
A study published this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine showed that in rats whose spinal cords were partially severed, the implantation of a pacemaker in the brain's mesencephalic locomotor region - a control center for the initiation of movement - restored the hind limbs' ability to run and support weight to near-normal levels.
Rats who had almost completely severed spinal cords - equivalent to humans whose injuries make them dependent on wheelchairs for mobility - were able to move their legs and to walk in the water, where they got some help from reduced gravity.
The latest research explored an approach heretofore untried to improve the mobility of patients whose spinal cords have been grievously injured, but who retain some nerve fibers connecting the upper spinal cord to the legs. At the Brain Research Institute at the University of Zurich, the researchers asked whether a source of steady voltage implanted into the brain could help to boost the signals reaching the lower extremities of those with spinal cord injury enough to improve their ability to walk and support their body weight.
A study published this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine showed that in rats whose spinal cords were partially severed, the implantation of a pacemaker in the brain's mesencephalic locomotor region - a control center for the initiation of movement - restored the hind limbs' ability to run and support weight to near-normal levels.
Rats who had almost completely severed spinal cords - equivalent to humans whose injuries make them dependent on wheelchairs for mobility - were able to move their legs and to walk in the water, where they got some help from reduced gravity.
The latest research explored an approach heretofore untried to improve the mobility of patients whose spinal cords have been grievously injured, but who retain some nerve fibers connecting the upper spinal cord to the legs. At the Brain Research Institute at the University of Zurich, the researchers asked whether a source of steady voltage implanted into the brain could help to boost the signals reaching the lower extremities of those with spinal cord injury enough to improve their ability to walk and support their body weight.
Read more: A pacemaker in the brain for spinal cord injury?
