Surgeons Achieve Unprecedented Medical Milestone: Restoring Leg Movement Using Deep Brain Stimulation Technology
In an unprecedented medical breakthrough, surgeons have used deep brain stimulation technology to reactivate dormant nerve fibers in the spinal cord, helping patients with paralysis regain control over their leg muscles. According to Sky News, two paralyzed patients successfully walked short distances and climbed stairs after electrodes were implanted in their brains.
The patients had suffered severe spinal injuries, which had left them reliant on wheelchairs prior to the procedure. One of the patients, 54-year-old Wolfgang Jäger, had suffered a skiing accident in 2006, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Since the implantation of the electrodes two years ago, Jäger has worked with physical therapists to regain movement in his limbs, saying, “If I want, I can walk a little and go up and down stairs, and if I’m in the kitchen, I can stand and rely on myself.”
This remarkable discovery was made by neuroscientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), who conducted experiments on rats and used artificial intelligence to map the brain’s neural circuits. The researchers discovered a brain area that plays a vital role in stimulating walking, which was unexpected and considered by some as a revolutionary finding.
This technology, which was previously used to treat Parkinson’s disease, was successfully applied to humans while they were fully conscious, with the first patient immediately feeling sensation in her leg after brain stimulation, prompting her to say, “I feel like walking.”
Professor Jocelyne Bloch, who performed the surgeries, explained that electrical stimulation can activate the remaining neural connections in the brain, promoting neural recovery. However, the patients are still unable to walk naturally, and their movement is limited to short distances with the aid of crutches.
The research demonstrated the potential for restoring movement through specialized implants in the spinal cord, and scientists hope that future stimulation of both the spinal cord and the brain will enable patients to walk longer distances and more quickly.
