14 DAY TRIAL // Many people who suffer severe damage to their spinal cord are told that they have little - if any, that is - chance to ever recover function below the site of injury.
In a new study, however, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles proved that this need not necessarily be the case.
Au contraire, the scientists say that, in a series of experiments, they made it possible for paralyzed men to voluntarily move their legs again simply by placing electrodes on their skin.
How the experiments played out
First, the five men, all diagnosed with complete motor paralysis, had their legs suspended with the help of braces so as to counter the effect of gravity. They then had electrodes attached to their lower back.
The electrodes served to deliver electrical stimulation to nerves in the spine and allowed the patients to voluntarily move their legs. As shown in the video below, the movements were quite chaotic. Still, what matters is that the experiments proved successful.
In the report detailing their work, the University of California, Los Angeles researchers explain that, to their knowledge, just nine people have until now managed to move their legs while their spine was being stimulated.
The difference it that, previous to these experiments, movement was achieved by stimulating nerves with the help of devices designed to be surgically implanted into the spinal cord rather than simply be attached to the skin.
Developing better therapies for paralysis
Since the men's legs were suspended the entire time, the movements could not be considered walking. Nonetheless, the experiments count as proof of concept. Thus, they show that paralyzed individuals might regain at least some control over their limbs.
“The potential to offer a life-changing therapy to patients without requiring surgery would be a major advance; it could greatly expand the number of individuals who might benefit from spinal stimulation.”
“These encouraging results provide continued evidence that spinal cord injury may no longer mean a life-long sentence of paralysis and support the need for more research,” said researcher Roderic Pettigrew.
