A new study has tested innovative proof-of-concept technology that syncs electrical stimulation with rehabilitation robotics to enable individuals paralyzed after spinal injury to move more naturally. The tech should improve recovery outcomes.
In 2022, New Atlas reported on how an implanted spinal cord stimulator had enabled nine patients, paralyzed following a spinal cord injury, to walk. The device was developed by the Swiss neurotech company .NeuroRestore, aided by the company’s creation of a “molecular map” of individual neurons that responded to the stimulation.
.NeuroRestore recently revealed its new development: a system that uses spinal cord stimulation synced with so-called “rehabilitation robotics” to restore natural, coordinated movement to people with spinal cord injuries. The announcement coincided with the publication of a proof-of-concept study into the system’s effectiveness.
“The seamless integration of spinal cord stimulation with rehabilitation or recreational robotics will accelerate the deployment of this therapy into the standard of care and the community of people with spinal cord injury,” said Grégoire Courtine, a neuroscientist and professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and one of the study’s corresponding authors. Courtine and his colleague, Adjunct Professor Jocelyne Bloch, another corresponding author, led the system’s development.
Rehabilitation robotics is a field where science fiction meets reality, which probably sounds a bit trite these days, given all the technological advancements we’re regularly exposed to. But the description fits here. It involves designing and using robotic devices to assist the recovery of individuals with physical impairments, particularly those affecting movement. In short, rehabilitation robotics guide movement during therapy.
Spinal stimulation triggers leg muscles to walk in sync with a rehabilitation robotics exoskeleton
Similar to the way .NeuroRestore’s previous device worked, a surgically implanted stimulator delivers precise electrical pulses to the spinal cord to stimulate muscles. However, key to the new technology is that these well-timed pulses are synced with robotic devices, producing a more natural, coordinated muscle activity when a person is engaged in rehabilitative therapy, such as on a stationary bike or treadmill.
For their proof-of-concept study, the researchers recruited five individuals with paralysis following spinal cord injuries. Using the new technology, the individuals not only regained the ability to engage muscles during robotic-assisted therapy, but the researchers noted that some people’s voluntary movements were improved, even after the stimulation was turned off.
Importantly, the tech was designed to be ‘agnostic,’ meaning it can work with a range of robotic devices. It’s also user-friendly, so non-experts can use it as easily as experts.
Spinal stimulation synced with rehabilitation robotics overcomes paralysis caused by spinal injury
“We visited multiple rehabilitation centers to test our stimulation technology with the robotic systems they routinely use, and it was incredibly rewarding to witness their enthusiasm,” said the study’s co-lead authors Nicolas Hankov, who is part of the .NeuroRestore team, and Miroslav Caban from EPFL’s Biorobotics (BioRob) Laboratory. “Seeing firsthand how seamlessly our approach integrates with existing rehabilitation protocols reinforces its potential to transform care for people with spinal cord injury by providing a technological framework that is easy to adopt and deploy across multiple rehabilitation environments.”
Beyond the clinical setting, the technology enabled study participants to walk and cycle outdoors, which, the researchers said, validates the tech’s real-world impact. They hope that the innovative tech will offer renewed hope to people with spinal cord injuries and that the more effective rehabilitation it provides will significantly enhance recovery outcomes. Further study and more clinical trials will determine the long-term benefits of the rehab-focused technology.
The video below shows how the spinal stimulation device works with rehabilitative robotics to restore movement.
Robotics and spinal stimulation restore movement in paralysis
The study was published in the journal Science Robotics.
Source: EPFL
