A hope for certain people with spinal cord injuries: deep stimulation of certain areas of the brain by electrodes could help them walk more easily, according to a study and a testimony released this Monday by the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne. “Now, when I see a staircase with only a few steps, I know that I can climb it alone,” says Wolfgang Jäger, for example, one of the two patients who took part in a first test.
“It's nice not to have to rely on others all the time,” emphasizes this 54-year-old Swiss, for whom going up and down a few steps during vacation “was no problem” once the equipment was turned on. Electrodes were placed in a particular region of the brain, and are connected to a device implanted in his chest. When turned on, these devices send electrical impulses to the brain.
Brain stimulation tested on mice
The experimental technique is intended for people suffering from incomplete spinal cord injuries – when the connection between the brain and spinal cord has not been completely severed – and capable of partial movements.
The Swiss team that led the study, published in the journal Nature Medicineis illustrated by recent advances using implants in the brain or spinal cord to allow paralytics to walk again.
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This time, these researchers wanted to determine the region of the brain most involved in the healing of people with spinal cord injuries. Using 3D imaging techniques to map the brain activity of mice with these lesions, they created a form of “brain atlas”. The region sought was found to be located in the lateral hypothalamus, known to regulate arousal, eating or motivation.
“I feel the urge to walk”
“I feel my legs,” exclaimed the first person to participate in the trial conducted in 2022 – a woman – when her device was turned on for the first time, reported neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch. “I feel the urge to walk,” she said once the current was increased, according to the scientist.
Patients included in the trial, who could turn on their stimulator when needed, also benefited from months of rehabilitation and strength training.
Further research remains necessary, and this technique would not be effective for all patients, however warned Grégoire Courtine, professor of neuroscience at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne. Some people are not “comfortable” with such an intervention on their brain, he added.
