{"id":1200047,"date":"2023-11-06T14:36:37","date_gmt":"2023-11-06T19:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1200047"},"modified":"2023-11-06T14:36:37","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T19:36:37","slug":"spinal-implant-allows-parkinsons-patient-to-walk-for-miles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/?p=1200047","title":{"rendered":"Spinal implant allows Parkinson\u2019s patient to walk for miles"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Parkinson\u2019s patient can now walk 6km (3.7 miles) thanks to an implant targeting the spinal cord. The Guardian<\/em> reports<\/a> that the man \u2014 62-year-old \u201cMarc\u201d from Bordeaux, France \u2014 developed severe mobility impairments from the degenerative disease. \u201cI practically could not walk anymore without falling frequently, several times a day,\u201d he said in a press release announcing the breakthrough. \u201cIn some situations, such as entering a lift, I\u2019d trample on the spot, as though I was frozen there, you might say.\u201d Wearing the spinal implant allows him to walk \u201calmost normally\u201d as the research team eyes a full clinical trial.<\/p>\n

Marc underwent a \u201cprecision neurosurgical procedure\u201d two years ago at Lausanne University Hospital<\/a> (CHUV), which helped facilitate the research. The surgery fitted him with an electrode field placed against his spinal cord and an electrical impulse generator under the skin of his abdomen. Although conventional Parkinson\u2019s treatments often target brain regions affected by the loss of dopamine-producing neurons, this approach instead focuses on the spinal area associated with activating leg muscles for walking.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The procedure used a personalized map of Marc\u2019s spinal cord, identifying the specific locations signaling leg movements. He wears a movement sensor on each leg that tells the implant he\u2019s trying to walk; it then switches on and sends electrical impulses to the targeted spinal neurons, adapting to his movement in real-time.<\/p>\n

\"Swiss
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GABRIEL MONNET via Getty Images<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cIn response to precise stimulation of the lumbar spinal cord, I\u2019ve observed for the first time remarkable improvements of gait deficits due to Parkinson\u2019s disease,\u201d project supervisor Jocelyne Bloch, professor and neurosurgeon at CHUV Lausanne University hospital, said in a webinar<\/a> discussing the patient\u2019s success. \u201cI really believe that these results open realistic perspectives to develop a treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The patient says he could walk practically normally with the stimulation after several weeks of rehab. He now wears it for around eight hours daily, only turning it off when sleeping or lying down for a while. \u201cI turn on the stimulation in the morning and I turn off in the evening,\u201d he said. \u201cThis allows me to walk better and to stabilise. Right now, I\u2019m not even afraid of the stairs anymore. Every Sunday I go to the lake, and I walk around 6 kilometres. It\u2019s incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The researchers caution that there\u2019s still a vast chasm between tailoring the approach to one person vs. optimizing it for wide-scale use. Co-leads Gr\u00e9goire Courtine and Bloch are working on a commercial version of the neuroprosthetic in conjunction with Onward Medical<\/a>. \u201cOur ambition is to provide general access to this innovative technology to improve the quality of life of Parkinson\u2019s patients significantly, all over the world,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\"Sting
Michael J. Fox (right) with Sting.<\/figcaption>
Michael J. Fox Foundation<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

In the meantime, research on six new patients will continue in 2024. The team says a \u201cgenerous donation\u201d of $1 million from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson\u2019s Research<\/a> is funding the upcoming work. In 2021, the actor\u2019s organization announced it had contributed<\/a> over $1.5 billion to Parkinson\u2019s research.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https:\/\/www.engadget.com\/spinal-implant-allows-parkinsons-patient-to-walk-for-miles-193637427.html?src=rss
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\nSource: Engadget – Spinal implant allows Parkinson\u2019s patient to walk for miles<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Parkinson\u2019s patient can now walk 6km (3.7 miles) thanks to an implant targeting the spinal cord. The Guardian reports that the man \u2014 62-year-old \u201cMarc\u201d from Bordeaux, France \u2014 developed severe mobility impairments from the degenerative disease. \u201cI practically … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,110],"tags":[98],"class_list":["post-1200047","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-engadget","category-unfiltered-rss","tag-engadget"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1200047","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1200047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1200047\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1200047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1200047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prime-wow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1200047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}