New research suggests that paralyzed patients can regain some degree of movement – perhaps even walk again.
In a study led by EPFL (Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne) and the Lausanne University Hospital in Switzerland, two people with spinal cord injuries received deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy.
The therapy was applied to an ‘unexpected’ part of the brain called the lateral hypothalamus, which has previously been associated with functions such as eating and waking from sleep.
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After the stimulation, the patients were able to walk without assistance and even climb stairs, according to a press release from Lausanne University Hospital.
The findings have been published in the journal Nature Medicine.
One of the study participants was 54-year-old Wolfgang Jäger from Kappel, Austria, who suffered a spinal cord injury in 2006 that left him in a wheelchair.
The clinical trial participant, Wolfgang Jäger, gets out of his wheelchair and climbs up and down the stairs using the deep brain stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus. (.NeuroRestore/EPFL)
After electrodes were implanted and received in the target area of his brain deep brain stimulationhe regained some lower body mobility.
“Last year on holiday it was no problem to walk down a few steps and back to the sea with the help of the stimulation,” Jäger said in the release.
“I can also access things in my cupboards in the kitchen.”
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Study author Jocelyne Bloch, neurosurgeon and professor at Lausanne University Hospital, UNIL and EPFL, shared the immediate effects of the therapy.
“Once the electrode was in place and we performed the stimulation, the first patient immediately said, ‘I can feel my legs,’” she said in the press release.
The therapy was applied to an ‘unexpected’ part of the brain called the lateral hypothalamus, which has previously been associated with functions such as eating and waking from sleep. (.NeuroRestore/EPFL)
“When we increased the stimulation, she said, ‘I feel the urge to walk!’ This real-time feedback confirmed that we were targeting the right region, even though this region had never been associated with leg control in humans.”
‘At that moment I knew we were witnessing one important discovery of the anatomical organization of brain functions,” Bloch added.
“When we increased the stimulation, she said, ‘I feel the urge to walk!'”
The participants also reported a “long-term improvement” in mobility even when the stimulation was not actively applied.
“This study highlights the unexpected role of the lateral hypothalamus, a brain region not previously associated with locomotion in humans,” said lead researcher Dr. Grégoire Courtine, professor of neuroscience at EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital and co-director of the .NeuroRestore center, told Fox News Digital.
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“Our findings show that this approach not only improves motor skills during stimulation, but also induces reorganization of nerve fibers, leading to lasting improvements even in the absence of stimulation.”
DBS has traditionally been used to control tremors in people with movement disorders Parkinson’s diseasethe researchers noted.
A visual representation of deep brain stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus is shown. (.NeuroRestore/EPFL)
The concept of applying it to the lateral hypothalamus is uncharted territory.
Looking ahead, the researchers hope to combine DBS with spinal implants to enable further recovery from paralysis.
“Integrating our two approaches – brain and spine stimulation – will provide a more comprehensive recovery strategy for patients with spinal cord injuries,” said Courtine.
‘Advancing science’
Dr. Ann Murray, director of the Comprehensive Movement Disorder Clinic at the WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute West Virginiasaid the results of the study are “surprising and exciting.”
“The targeted location of the brain they stimulated, the hypothalamus, has not historically been known to be involved in the mechanics of walking,” Murray, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
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“As we understand brain networks better, it will continue to allow us to modulate areas that are not working correctly,” she continued.
“The brain communicates through electrical signals, and technologies such as deep brain stimulation therapy help us communicate with the brain circuits to improve and/or restore more normal connectivity.”
“The brain communicates through electrical signals, and technologies such as deep brain stimulation therapy help us communicate with the brain circuits to improve and/or restore more normal connectivity,” said a neurologist. (.NeuroRestore/EPFL)
The potential for advancements in these types of technologies is “truly endless,” Murray said.
“I have the greatest hope that technologies such as deep brain stimulation and other neuromodulation therapies will continue to do so science forward in restoring brain health to patients suffering from neurological injury.”
Potential limitations
The researchers acknowledged that there are some limitations to the study.
“This is precision medicine at its best.”
“This therapy is only beneficial for patients with incomplete injuries, where functional neural circuits persist but are not fully utilized,” Courtine told Fox News Digital.
“For complete spinal cord injuries, only localized epidural electrical stimulation or an interface bridge between the brain and spine can help restore functional movements.”
After electrodes were implanted in the targeted area of his brain and given deep brain stimulation, a clinical trial participant was able to climb stairs. (.NeuroRestore/EPFL)
He also pointed out that this study is an “early-stage safety and feasibility study” conducted without a control group.
‘To make this therapy widely accessible and bigger crucial research will need to be finalized and thoroughly evaluated (before approval),” Courtine said.
“This process may take several years before the therapy becomes available to patients.”
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Murray also emphasized that caution should be used with this type of stimulation.
“Every time we investigate brain therapies, an enormous degree of safety and precision must be applied,” she warned.
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“The brain is the most precise, complicated organ in the body, requiring any treatment or innovation to appreciate not only the intended effects, but also the potential unintended effects of disrupting certain networks.”
Every step of the process must be carefully executed by an extensive team, Murray said.
“Every time we investigate brain therapies, an enormous degree of safety and precision must be applied,” a neurologist warned. (iStock)
“This is it precision medicine At best, any misstep in any of these phases can result in suboptimal results.”
The goal, she said, is to standardize this process so that more patients have access to this “life-changing therapy.”
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Murray added: “This should give hope to millions of patients around the world suffering from neurological conditions as it pushes technology and science forward to extend treatment to people who have never had other options.”
