Electrical Stimulation Can Help In Regaining Paralyzed Patient Lower Body Control

Nov, 2022 - By WMR

A new study published in the Nature Journal reads, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology under its five-month programme been able to treat nine spinal paralyzed patients with the help of electrical stimulation along with exercise and rehab.

Paralysis is inability to move voluntary muscles due to dysfunctioning of nervous system. While some connection to body parts still able to move, some circuitry connections are completely loss.

In epidural electrical stimulation, these lost nervous connections are completely destroyed with electricity. Bundles of electrodes are surgically implanted into the lower spinal cord.

A neuroscientist team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology studied the before and after images of the spinal cord nerve cells treated. These images were taken while the patient was involved in activity such as walking. The images showed activation of earlier less active group of nerve cells in the course of electrical stimulation treatment. This helped the patients under observation to rebuild muscles and walk without any assistance.

For better understanding, the research team repeatedly examined mice with injured spinal cord. The mice were given electrical stimulation treatment at different spinal points along with assisted treadmill walk. A designed computer program was used to determine activity of the specific genes involved in recovery. To cross check the end result, the researchers blocked the neuron cells involved in injury and found that the recovery wasn’t possible in mice. This verifying process helped the researchers in identifying the exact neurons that are significant for the recovery of spinal cord injury.

This new finding is an initial step in further expanding the study on spinal cord electrical stimulation and finally release it as proof full treatment on paralysis. Remodelling of spinal cord by stimulation method would improve life quality of paralyzed patient.