Two patients with spinal injuries have experienced improvements in their ability to walk again, thanks to deep brain stimulation (DBS). Surprisingly, this therapy targets a brain region that is not typically associated with motor skills.
DBS entails surgically implanting electrodes into specific areas of the brain, where they can be used to stimulate particular neurons. This method has been effective in treating neurological conditions like depression, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and anorexia.
Recently, DBS has been used to assist two individuals with partial paralysis in regaining mobility in their legs. Researchers at EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital implanted electrodes into the lateral hypothalamus (LH) region of their brains while the patients were awake.
According to neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch, who conducted the procedure, “Once the electrode was in place and we performed the stimulation, the first patient immediately said, ‘I feel my legs.’ When we increased the stimulation, she said, ‘I feel the urge to walk!’ This real-time feedback confirmed we had targeted the correct region, even though this area had never been linked to the control of legs in humans.”
The second patient, Wolfgang Jäger, a 54-year-old man from Austria who has been using a wheelchair since a spinal cord injury in 2006, has relied on it less following the surgery.
Patient mobility improved instantly when the deep brain stimulation was activated during rehabilitation. They were able to walk and climb stairs with less assistance than usual, and these improvements persisted even after the stimulation was turned off.
EPFL
Remarkably, the targeted brain region in the study was not previously associated with motor skills and is more commonly linked to feeding, energy intake, and reward behavior. However, researchers identified it while creating a whole-brain functional map to understand which neurons were active during the relearning process after spinal cord injury.
Studies in rodents with partial spinal cord injuries showed that stimulating these neurons improved their ability to walk, leading to the current trials in humans. While no adverse effects were reported, further trials are necessary to confirm the safety and efficacy of the technique.
If successful, this approach could become a valuable tool to enhance mobility during rehabilitation. The research was published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Stimulating hypothalamus restores walking in paralyzed patients
Source: EPFL
