2023-05-27 01:02:37
For the first time in history: a paralyzed man began to walk thanks to an innovative ‘brain – spinal cord’ chip
An extraordinary scientific breakthrough – “I got my life back”, this is how the 40-year-old Dutchman Gert-Jan Oskam defined it, who was paralyzed for 12 years until recently
A paralyzed man was able to walk again for the first time by using his brain power thanks to implants placed in his brain and spinal cord.
Gert-Jan Oscam, 40, a victim of a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed, walks with the implants during a press conference in Lausanne, Switzerland, on May 23, 2023. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
Gert-Jan Oskam, a 40-year-old Dutchman, was paralyzed in his legs and partially paralyzed in his arms following a bicycle accident 12 years ago in which he suffered a spinal cord injury. He was told he would never walk again.
However, after being fitted with a device called a brain-spinal interface, Oscam regained the ability to voluntarily move his legs just by thinking about it, according toResearchPublished on May 24 in the journal Nature
Now he can stand, climb stairs and even cross complex areas with the help of walking aids, according to the researchers
”I feel like a toddler, learning to walk again.”Oscam saidFor the BBC.
“It was a long journey, but now I can stand and drink beer with my friend. It’s a pleasure that many people don’t understand.”
An international team of researchers, led by Dr. Grégoire Courtin, Professor Jocelyn Bloch and others from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, adapted the brain-spinal interface to Oscam, which works by establishing a direct connection between “cortical signals and analog modulation of stimulation An electrical epidural aimed at the areas of the spinal cord involved in the production of walking,” according to the researchers
How the device works
Simply put, the device restored the neurological connection between the brain and the spinal cord, which is usually severed during accidents like Oscam’s.
The device was implanted in Oscam’s skull, meaning it is not visible to the eye. When he thinks about walking, the implant detects electrical activity in the cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain, and sends brain waves wirelessly to a computer Oscam wears in a backpack. The information is then transmitted to a pulse generator inserted into his spinal cord, effectively activating the muscles and allowing him to produce specific movements .
Oscam also underwent about 40 rehabilitation sessions using a brain-spinal interface, after which he regained the ability to move his legs voluntarily.
The researchers believe that Oscam’s movements were not possible with spinal stimulation alone and that the training “resulted in further recovery of nerve cells” that were not completely cut off during his injury.
In addition to being able to walk while using the device, Oscam can also walk short distances without the device, provided he uses crutches.
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