People diagnosed with complete long-term paralysis following spinal cord injuries have shown unprecedented gains in mobility and feeling during a trial using brain-controlled robotics and virtual reality training. The study, published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine, involved 12 patients who had been paralyzed for more than two years after being hit by an SUV. The as-yet-unproven hypothesis is that changes in the brain will also stimulate the damaged spinal cord.
People diagnosed with complete long-term paralysis following spinal cord injuries have shown unprecedented gains in mobility and feeling during a trial using brain-controlled robotics and virtual reality training. In a Sao Paolo clinic, the trial has seen four patients' medical status changed to "partial paralysis" after techniques to stimulate patients' brains were used to reactivate their limbs. The as-yet-unproven hypothesis is that changes in the brain will also stimulate the damaged spinal cord.