Paralyzed patients walk again.. and the secret is in a slice

Michel Rokatti has regained the ability to walk thanks to a new achievement in spinal cord transplantation, after he was paralyzed in the lower part of his body in 2017, as a result of an accident he suffered while riding a motorcycle.

And a chip sends electrical impulses to the roaca muscles that mimic the brain's work, and could one day help people with severe spinal injuries to stand, walk and exercise.

Those responsible for this scientific achievement relied on a long research path that relied on the use of electrical impulses to improve the quality of life in people with spinal cord injuries, including a study conducted by the same team in 2018 that helped people with paralysis in the lower part of their body to walk again.

Rokatti told reporters that the first time the electrical impulses were triggered and he was able to walk was a "very emotionally charged experience".

The study, the results of which were published in the journal Nature Medicine, was conducted on Rotaki and two others who were unable to move the lower part of their bodies after accidents.

The three patients were able to walk a short time after a six-centimeter-long chip was implanted and its pulse was adjusted.

"These electrodes are longer and larger than the ones we've previously implanted, and we were able to reach more muscle thanks to this new technology," said neurosurgeon at the University Hospital Lausanne Jocelyn Bloch.

While the first steps took the researchers and their patients breathless, taking them was difficult and required the use of support bars and significant upper-body strength.

Patients could begin the rehabilitation process immediately, and within four months, Rokatti was able to walk using only a frame for balance.

However, Gregoire Courtine, a neuroscientist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology who led the research with Bloch, noted that it was not an immediate miracle.

But Rokatti is now able, through training, to stand for hours and walk for almost a kilometer.

The Italian notes that thanks to the slide, he was able to take a shower while standing.

Rokatti and the two other patients participating in the trial were able to climb stairs and swim.

Extensive futuristic experiences

Improvement depends on electrical stimulation triggered by a computer carried by the patient and activating a pattern of impulses.

Currently, two patients can activate their muscles slightly without the use of electrical impulses.

By way of comparison, patients suffering from paralysis of the lower part of a previous study were able to move their legs and stand without stimulation.

The three men were injured in the new experiment at least a year before the implant was implanted, and Bloch hopes this technology will be adopted in people paralyzed by recent accidents.

However, there are challenges. In the early stages of recovery, the patient's ability is variable, making it difficult to establish a basic standard for measuring progress, and continuous medical treatment and pain may stand in the way of the rehabilitation process.

So far, this chip is only suitable for those who suffer from an injury above the lower part of the thoracic spinal cord, which is the part that extends from the base of the neck to the abdomen, because of the need for six centimeters of spinal cord to function normally.

The idea of ​​using electrical pulses to treat paralysis arose from the technology used to regulate pain, and the researchers said they see scope for more applications.

They also showed that electrical pulses can regulate low blood pressure in people with spinal cord injuries, and they plan to soon publish a study on their use in people with advanced Parkinson's disease.

The team indicated the need to conduct a lot of additional research before the slide becomes available outside of clinical studies, noting that they receive five letters daily from patients asking them for help.

Their next plan includes miniaturizing the computer that controls the impulses so that it can be implanted in patients and controlled using smartphones.

They expect it to be possible this year, as they plan to conduct large-scale trials involving between 50 and 100 patients in the United States and then in Europe.

Rokatti explains that he activates the chip daily at home, and notes the progress made.

"I feel better when I use it," he says.

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