how two paralyzed patients can walk again thanks to a “major discovery”

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Wolfgang Jäger, a 54-year-old Austrian, has been in a wheelchair since 2006, after a skiing accident which left him with a spinal cord injury. He testifies today: “I can now go down the steps and return to the sea”.

He owes this miracle to a Swiss team from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and the Vaud University Hospital Center. The latter used a technique already proven in Parkinson’s disease, deep brain stimulation (or SCP).

It involves implanting electrodes in specific regions of the brain in order to modulate neuronal activity.

Brain stimulation

This time, scientists established anatomical and functional mapping of the entire brain to establish the role of different regions in walking.

They then identified the lateral hypothalamus, a part more often associated with wakefulness and eating.

Conclusive animal experiments have led to clinical trials and the application of DBS on human participants with disabilities.

“I feel my legs”

Neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch, who performed the first surgical procedure, says: “once the electrode was in place and the stimulation was carried out, the first patient immediately said: “I feel my legs”. When we increased the stimulation, she said, “I want to walk.” »

This real-time feedback confirmed that we had targeted the correct region, although it has never been associated with leg control in humans. At that moment, I knew we were witnessing a major discovery in the anatomical organization of brain function.

(Very) promising results

And the results are most promising. Not only do they show immediate improvements, but also lasting benefits, even after the stimulation stops.

Researchers are now considering combining this technique with spinal cord implants. “The integration of our two approaches – brain and spinal stimulation – will offer a more complete recovery strategy for patients suffering from spinal cord injuries,” says Grégoire Courtine, professor of Neurosciences at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. (EPFL) and at the Vaud University Hospital Center.

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