New Implantable Devices May Help the Paralyzed Move Again by Connecting the Nervous System

New implantable devices may help the paralyzed move again. Scientists are working on using flexible neural recording fibers in order to develop devices that could help spinal cord injury or stroke sufferers regain their mobility.

University of Washington researchers have actually won a four-year, $16 million grant from the National Science Foundation in order to pursue the project. The new findings could be a way to help those who can no longer move by themselves.

"There's a huge unmet need, especially with an aging population of baby boomers, for developing the next generation of medical devices for helping people with progressive or traumatic neurological conditions such as stroke and spinal cord injury," said Rajesh Rao, CSNE director and UW professor of computer science and engineering, in an interview with News Medical.

In five years, the researchers hope to prove that it's possible to implant such a system in animals and some human patients.

But how would these devices work? The implantable devices would send signals between regions of the brain or nervous system that no longer communicate with each other due to injury or stroke. This, in turn, could restore function to those regions.

The findings could be huge when it comes to restoring those who have suffered stroke or injury in the past. In a few short years, the first people may receive these implantable devices as scientists continue to refine them for general use.

"When Christopher Reeve sustain a spinal cord injury due to a fall from his horse, his brain circuits were still intact and able to form the intention to move, but unfortunately the injury prevented that intention from being conveyed to the spinal cord," said Rao in a news release. "Our implantable devices aim to bridge such lost connections by decoding brain signals and stimulating the appropriate part of the spinal cord to enable the person to move again."

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