Brain zapping could allow partially paralyzed patients to walk in a revolution for wheelchair users

By zapping the brain, partially paralyzed patients can walk again, a ‘major milestone’ for wheelchair users.

Deep brain stimulation has been found to improve walking and promote recovery in two people with spinal cord injury.

The surgical procedure involves implanting electrodes in the brain to produce electrical impulses. These can easily be switched ‘on’ and ‘off’.

Traditionally, it has been used to treat movement disorders such as Parkinson’s by targeting areas of the brain responsible for motor control.

Now the technique has restored enough leg control that partially paralyzed patients can walk and even climb stairs without assistance.

When used in combination with rehabilitation, they continued to improve even when deep brain stimulation was turned off.

This new discovery is unexpected, scientists say, because it focuses on a part of the brain – the lateral hypothalamus – not usually associated with paralysis, but instead typically associated with arousal, nutrition and motivation.

They discovered it may play a role in movement during studies in mice with spinal cord injuries, using 3D imaging techniques to map which brain areas are involved in walking during recovery.

Wolfgang Jäger, 54, from Kappel, Austria, has been in a wheelchair since 2006 after a skiing accident left him with a spinal cord injury.

After participating in the clinical trial, he can now walk up and down stairs and get up to reach items in his kitchen cupboards.

Although the technique has not yet completely ‘cured’ him – he still uses a wheelchair regularly – he said the procedure has given him a new lease of life.

While previously he had to slide down the stairs while sitting and physically lift each leg down on each step, he can now – with the help of a handrail and a cane – go up and down the stairs while remaining standing.

He has also been on holiday and been able to walk up and down the steps to the sea – something he had not been able to do before.

“There was a big difference in the beginning,” he said. ‘And over time, with lots of training and stimulation, muscle strength began to develop.

‘It was clear that progress was being made even without incentives. I became faster, could run longer.

‘The goal was to use stimulation during training, but ultimately that would no longer be necessary.

‘And that’s where I am now. I hardly have to turn it on anymore.

‘Now when I see a staircase with only a few steps, I know I can tackle it alone. It’s a wonderful feeling when you don’t have to rely on others all the time.

‘After an accident or diagnosis, many people often fall into a hole and feel like everything is over. But knowing that there is something that helps motivates you to keep going and keep training.”

The discovery was made during studies in mice with spinal cord injuries, using 3D imaging techniques to map which brain areas are involved in walking during recovery (file image)

The team behind the treatment said their findings suggest it causes a reorganization of nerve fibers in the brain.

The research was led by professors Jocelyne Bloch, from Lausanne University Hospital, and Grégoire Courtine, from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

“The patients had these two electrodes implanted in the lateral hypothalamus and when we turned on the stimulation, they immediately felt the urge to walk,” said Professor Bloch.

“So they started the rehabilitation with the stimulation and after six months we saw an improvement in their motor score that was really impressive.”

The same team previously developed a spinal cord implant that allows people paralyzed below the waist to walk, cycle and swim by ‘instructing’ certain muscles to contract and relax using an iPad-like device.

The findings have been published in the journal Nature Medicine.