2023-05-30 09:30:10
What biotech innovation should we not miss this month? A digital bridge connecting the brain to the spinal cord allows a paraplegic person to walk once more…
A spinal cord injury can damage descending circuits. However, it is through them that the motor commands sent to the neurons involved in walking pass. The result can go as far as paralysis of the subject’s legs. In previous work, researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) had developed software capable of programming the sending of a targeted electrical stimulation for each motor activity. The device required many motion sensors to determine the intentions of the individual. Eventually, subject might walk unnaturally, and never on hard-to-reach terrain. But now, a Franco-Swiss partnership between neuroscientists and neurosurgeons from EPFL/CHUV/UNIL and CEA/CHUGA/UGA has succeeded in restoring communication between the brain and the spinal cord…
A digital bridge supported by two implants
The brain-spinal cord interface developed by the international research team works like a digital bridge. It consists of two implants, one placed in the skull and the other on the spine. The first is taken from WIMAGINE technology. It is a circular titanium box 50 mm in diameter, containing 64 electrodes and located on the surface of the cerebral motor cortex. It records cortical activity before transmitting it by wireless communication to two external antennas fixed in a personalized helmet for the patient, Gert-Jan, 40 years old and paraplegic following a bicycle accident 10 years ago. The cortical signals are then transferred to a processing unit which generates movement intention predictions. Once converted into stimulations, these intentions reach the software developed by EPFL. This is when the second implant comes into play. This neurostimulator, ACTIVA RC, receives the information received from the antennae and transmits it to the field of electrodes to which it is connected. The electrodes deliver electrical stimulation to the area of the spine called the epidural space, targeting nerve roots that specialize in leg movement.
And the “miracle” happens! Gert-Jan manages to stand, climb stairs and walk on any type of terrain. He once more obtains voluntary and adaptive control over the amplitude and rhythm of his steps. Another positive point described by the research team in Nature on May 24, 2023, it appears that neurorehabilitation has aided in the patient’s neurological recovery. Indeed, this one is able to walk with crutches even when the interface is deactivated. It is therefore possible that new nerve connections have formed… This tremendous technological advance opens a new era in the treatment of other motor deficits (arms, hands) due to various neurological disorders (CVA). The project is now continuing in conjunction with ONWARD Medical. The collaboration has already received support from the European Innovation Council for the development of a commercial version of the digital bridge. The ultimate goal is to make this technology available to as many people as possible.
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