In a world first, surgeons have used a technique called deep brain stimulation to 're-awaken' dormant nerve fibres in the spinal cord and re-establish control of the leg muscles.
Two paralysed patients have been able to walk short distances and even climb stairs once more after being implanted with electrodes in their brains. Both had catastrophic spinal injuries that meant they relied on a wheelchair before the operation. But in a world first, surgeons used a technique called deep brain stimulation to 're-awaken' dormant nerve fibres in the spinal cord and re-establish control of the leg muscles.
After successful tests in rodents, the Swiss team then implanted electrodes in the lateral hypothalamus of the human patients. The technique, which is already widely used to control tremors in people with Parkinson's disease, is carried out while patients are wide awake. Only then can surgeons be sure they have reached the right spot in the brain, with the right strength of stimulation.
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