WATCH: Brain Implants Paralyzed Man Walk, video divided internet
In recent news, it was reported that a man with paralysis walks naturally after brain spine implants. You are required to read the complete article and continue reading for more details. Follow us around for all the insights. The new research how a medical device helped a person with paralysis walk naturally again, more than a decade after an injury. Dr. Gregoire Courtine and colleagues from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne developed and implanted a brain-spine interface that creates a direct neurological link between the brain and spinal cord. The implants happened in the brain track that intends for movement, which is wirelessly transferred to a processing unit that a person wears externally, like a backpack. The intentions and energies are translated into commands that the processing unit sends back through the second implant to stimulate the muscles.
Brain Implants Paralyzed Man Walk video
The research findings were published on Wednesday in the journal Nature, there were successful outcomes for one study participant from the Netherlands. Gert-Jan Oskam, 40 was left paralyzed after a motorbike accident in China more than a decade ago. His body parts like his legs, arms, and trunk were impaired. In a briefing with a journalist this week, he said that his wish was to be able to walk again and now he believes that it is possible. He further added that he tried many things before, and now he is glad that he could walk all by himself, alone! because this is how the system works.
Oskam said he can walk at least 100 meters, depending on the day, and stand without using his hands for a few minutes. He said it is useful in his daily life, like when he recently had something to paint but had no one to help, so he stood and did it himself. Previous research has shown that targeted electrical pulses can stimulate areas of the leg needed to walk. But this new technology allows for smoother movements and better adaptations to changing terrain because it reconnects two regions of the central nervous system that were interrupted because of a spinal cord injury, according to the researchers.
Oskam had been implanted with stimulation devices previously, but he had to make a movement to trigger the stimulation. Courtine said that this stimulation is different because Oskam has full control over the parameter of stimulation, which means that he can stop, he can walk, can climb up staircases. After the surgeries to implant the devices, neurological communication channels were established immediately. Oskam was taking steps within a day of training.
However, Oskam was the first participant in the trial, but researchers are hopeful about future possibilities. The research validates the possibility of re-creating a neurological link between the brain and spinal cord, and the connection happens quickly. It also expands the scope of that connection and could also help others who have arm and hand paralysis or who have had a stroke. But, they would like to rescue the size of the system to make it more portable. Several researchers wrote that the concept of a digital bridge between the brain and spinal cord argues for a new era in the treatment of motor deficits due to neurological disorders.
