2023-11-08 23:24:12
Advances in technology and medicine have changed more and more lives with unfavorable prognoses, for example, we tell you the story of man with Parkinson’s who walks again thanks to a neural prosthesis.
Who is Marc Gauthier?
International media reported the successful case of Marc Gauthier, a 63-year-old French man who was diagnosed with early Parkinson’s at the age of 36.
As part of the treatments, Marc had two implants placed in his brain, one helped him generate dopamine and the other stimulated the basal ganglia, in this way they sought to ensure that dopamine was present in normal quantities in his body, since this neurotransmitter is key to body movement.
And although at first there was considerable improvement, shortly after, the falls returned and even became more and more serious; His movement was affected to the extent that he could no longer climb stairs.
Finally, after a neuroscientist spoke with him, they placed a new neural prosthesis that, for two years, has allowed Marc to continue with his life normally, since now activities such as traveling on the subway or climbing stairs no longer represent an unattainable challenge.
Photo: iStock
What is a neural prosthesis?
The group Future Healthcare explains neural prostheses are microchips that are inserted into the brain to reestablish neural connections and, with it, certain functions of the body.
In fact, the main idea behind a prosthesis or neural implant is to help people with some type of paralysis or physical impairment after illnesses or accidents, be able to have as normal a life as possible, as in the case of man with Parkinson’s who walks again thanks to this technology.
Fortunately, there are more and more cases of people with some type of different capacity or paralysis who have been able to recover some of their neuronal functions thanks to this technology.
However, neural prostheses continue to be an object of study and experts assure that although there are already clear advances, research is still necessary.
Photo: iStock
What is early Parkinson’s like?
The “Know Parkinson’s” Foundation points out that Parkinson’s usually occurs in people over 60 years of age, however there are cases in which it happens at younger ages.
Early Parkinson’s, also known as early-onset Parkinson’s disease, is a form of Parkinson’s disease that affects people younger than most Parkinson’s patients.
It usually refers to those who develop the disease before age 50, although ages of onset can vary.
The symptoms of early Parkinson’s are similar to those of typical Parkinson’s disease and include tremors, muscle stiffness, slowness of movement, and balance problems.
However, in early Parkinson’s, these symptoms may progress more slowly and the response to treatment is usually better, even though there is no cure for this condition.
Now you know the story of Marc Gauthier, the man with Parkinson’s who walks again thanks to a neural prosthesis, It is expected that in the coming years, technology will make it possible to learn about more success stories like this one.
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