When the spinal cord is injured, it can sever the communication between your brain and your body, which produces the paralysis.
As seen in this video, Grégoire Courtine and his team show a new method that could re-awaken the neural pathways and help the body learn again to move on its own.
As described in the video, the approach combines drugs, electrical stimulation and a robot to help the body and the brain, in effect, help themselves.
Courtine’s approach is to use a combination of a chemical cocktail, delivered into the area of the spinal cord below the injury, along with electrical stimulation to begin the rehabilitation.
This is combined with a sort of robotic prosthetic device which is used to continue the rehabilitation and keep the muscles in the paralyzed areas active and engaged.
In his rat, this stimulation, drugs and rehabilitation eventually led to the regrowth of the neural pathways linking the spinal cord to the brain – essentially allowing the body to repair the damage.
Courtine, who was greatly inspired by the late Christopher Reeves, cautions that this is not currently a cure for spinal cord injuries and paralysis, but his team continue to push forward with that ultimate goal in mind.
By Alyssa Jayden
