When turning off the computer-aided spinal cord bypass, the lower extremities which were in a relaxed state did not move even if the subject was swinging his/her arms. With the bypass turned on, when the subject swung his/her arms by his/her own will and a walking motion of the lower extremities began in rhythm to the motion of the arms.
Credit: Yukio Nishimura
Potential rehabilitation of volitional walking in individuals with spinal cord injury
Gait disturbance in individuals with spinal cord injury is attributed to the interruption of neural pathways from brain to the spinal locomotor center, whereas neural circuits locate below and above the lesion maintain most of their functions. An artificial connection that bridges the lost pathway and connects brain to spinal circuits has potential to ameliorate the functional loss. A Japanese research group led by Shusaku Sasada, research fellow and Yukio Nishimura, associate professor of the National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS), National Institutes of Natural Sciences (NINS) has successfully made an artificial connection from the brain to the locomotion center in the spinal cord by bypassing with a computer interface. This allowed subjects to stimulate the spinal locomotion center using volitionally-controlled muscle activity and to control walking in legs. This result was published online in The Journal of Neuroscience on August 13, 2014.
Neural networks in the spinal cord, locomotion center are capable of producing rhythmic movements, such as swimming and walking, even when isolated from the brain. The brain controls spinal locomotion center by sending command to the spinal locomotion center to start, stop and change waking speed. In most cases of spinal cord injury, the loss of this link from the brain to the locomotion center causes problems with walking.
The research group came up with bypassing the functioning brain and locomotion center with the computer to compensate lost pathways as a way to enable individuals with spinal cord injury to regain walking ability.
The Latest on: Spinal cord bypass
via Google News
The Latest on: Spinal cord bypass
- Blood-clotting protein plays key role in central nervous system b-cell lymphomaon February 17, 2021 at 8:05 am
In people with central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, cancerous B cells—a type of white blood cell—accumulate to form tumors in the brain or spinal cord, often in close proximity to blood vessels.
- New mother, 29, reveals she's struck with agonising headaches whenever she stands up due to fluid leaking from her brain after nick to her spinal cord during a C-sectionon February 16, 2021 at 7:15 am
A new mother has told how she suffers agonising headaches whenever she stands up due to fluid leaking from her brain after suffering a small tear to her spinal cord during a caesarean - meaning ...
- A Year After Spinal Surgery, A $94,000 Bill Feels Like A Backbreakeron February 14, 2021 at 11:22 pm
It causes the spinal cord to split in two. In Cannon's case ... Cardiac monitoring is not charged separately during bypass surgery, for example. When considering spine surgery, ask your doctor whether ...
- How a Brain-Computer Interface Can Restore the Sense of Touch to a Paralyzed Manon February 10, 2021 at 4:00 pm
Burkhart, who suffered a spinal cord injury (SCI) in 2010 leaving him paralyzed, was the first participant in a five-year study of Battelle's NeuroLife neural bypass technology, a project Battelle has ...
- Regenerative Therapies for Central Nervous System Diseases: a Biomaterials Approachon February 2, 2021 at 4:00 pm
This section will highlight some of the recent advances using biomaterials to deliver therapeutic molecules to the brain and spinal cord. Localized drug delivery into the injured spinal cord using ...
- Pacemaker News and Researchon January 28, 2021 at 4:00 pm
An international team of scientists headed by Grégoire Courtine at EPFL and CHUV and Aaron Phillips at the University of Calgary has developed a treatment that can dramatically improve the lives ...
- Epidural News and Researchon January 27, 2021 at 4:00 pm
There are more than 290,000 people estimated to be living in the United States with a spinal cord injury. Previously, it has been shown that it is possible to restore some function to young and ...
- Spinal Vascular Malformationson December 18, 2020 at 3:51 am
This connection allows high pressure arterial blood to escape into the low pressure network of veins draining the spinal cord. Over time, the spinal cord is damaged by the elevated pressure. Spinal ...
- Texas Model Spinal Cord Injury Systemon December 18, 2020 at 3:49 am
The Texas Model Spinal Cord Injury System provides services along the entire continuum of care from emergency medical service to long-term follow-up and management of secondary conditions. The TMSCIS ...
- Dad-of-three died in horror bike crash on Blackrod Bypasson February 3, 2020 at 9:11 pm
William Munsie, 40, died instantly in a rush hour-crash on Blackrod Bypass, just minutes away ... a fractured skull and a split spinal cord, among other injuries. Wife Lisa Miller said: "He ...
via Bing News
