Implant reawakens paralysed spines

• Autores: Andy Coghlan
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2964, 2014, pág. 14
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Four wheelchair-bound men who until recently were completely paralyzed below the waist can now move their legs and toes and even lift up to 100 kilograms with their legs. Their spinal cords have been reawakened by electrical implants that revive the flow of information between limbs and brain. Such feats would previously have been unthinkable in people with spinal cord injuries. The device--an array of electrodes--is implanted not at the point of injury, but in the still intact lumbosacral region of the spinal cord, which is the main information hub linking the brain to the lower limbs. Despite being crushed, the spinal cord and its associated nerve connections retain huge capacity to continue sending messages.