Electrical stimulation of specific regions of the spinal cord that control the arm and hand has been successfully tested in humans for the first time. Further studies need to supplement the small number of participants in these.
American researchers have developed neurotechnology that stimulates the spinal cord and restores movement of the arms and hands in people who have suffered a stroke. Results from two participants in an initial human study were published in Nature Medicine published.
For 29 days, the patients had thin metal electrodes implanted along their necks that targeted nerve cells in the spinal cord (the spinal roots C3 to T1) to increase excitation of motor neurons in the arm and hand. The continuous stimulation led in particular to an improvement in grip strength and the speed of movements. For example, patients might fully open and close their fist, raise their arm overhead, and use cutlery—all mundane tasks that they lost in the accident.
A first for hand and arm movements
© Powell MP, Verma N, Sorensen E et al. Nat Med (2023)-Using electrical stimulation of the spinal cord, researchers help restore movement of arms and hands in stroke survivors.
“Perhaps more interesting is the fact that we found that following a few weeks of use, some of these improvements persist even with stimulation off, suggesting exciting avenues for the future of stroke therapy,” raved senior co-author Marco Capogrosso, assistant professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. In addition, movement control is ensured because “the stimulation is supported and increases the activation of the muscles only when the patients try to move,” according to the researchers.
While previous studies have used the same technique to help paralyzed people regain use of their legs, the complexity of the neural signals that control the arm and hand posed greater difficulties for the scientists. The therapy might therefore be tested on humans in extensive preclinical studies, even if the number of participants is still too small to approve its safety and effectiveness.
Redaktion: Futura, verfasst von Claire Manière
Cover Photo: © eddy02, Adobe Stock- Researchers have developed neurotechnology that stimulates the spinal cord and can restore movement to the arms and hands of people who have suffered a stroke.
2.Figure:©Powell, MP, Verma, N., Sorensen, E. et al. Nat Med (2023)
