May 24, 2023 6:59 p.m
The device was developed by a group of neurosurgeons and neuroscientists from the Technical University of Lausanne. The first patient it was tested on was Dutchman Gert-Jan Oskam
Photo Gallery – Digital Brain Spinal Bridge
A 40-year-old Dutchman, paralyzed Since 2011 he has been walking with one again “Digital Bridge” between his Brain and the spinal cord. His brain can now communicate directly with that part of the bone marrow
Spinal cord, which controls movement and allows him to stand and walk naturally. The device was developed by a group of neurosurgeons and neuroscientists Polytechnic University of LausanneIn Swiss. It is the first time this innovative technique, described in the journal Nature, has been tested on a patient, but it is already clear that new frontiers have been opened in the field of rehabilitation.
“I feel like a kid learning to walk again,” he told the BBC.
Gert-Jan Oskam – that’s the name of the 40-year-old Dutchman – he was 29 when he was murdered in 2011 while working in China
Serious bike accident, which made him unable to use his legs and arms. “I could stand on my own feet, I learned to walk naturally and I can control my movements and my strength,” said Gert-Jan at the press conference organized by Nature.
How the device works The device consists of two electronic implants: the first is placed over the brain region, the second over the part of the spinal cord. This artificial structure acts as a bridge, allowing electrical impulses to pass between neurons and nerve fibers, allowing the brain to communicate with the spinal cord, which controls the movement of the legs. The aim is to enable paralyzed people to move as naturally as possible again, for example by adjusting their speed on uneven terrain without losing their balance. The system at the base of the digital bridge is still cumbersome: 64 electrodes record the signals from the sensorimotor cortex at frequencies that artificial intelligence was able to identify, then the signals are converted into electrical signals and sent to the spinal cord, where they come from 16 electrodes received and decoded in real time without the need for a computer for this function. All of this requires a portable control system housed in a backpack.
I study This result was made possible by the research group from the Polytechnic University of Lausanne led by Gre’goire Courtine, who in February 2022 had experimented with a system of tablet-controllable electrodes that sent electrical stimuli to the brain muscles in a programmed way. “The new approach is completely different,” Courtine said at the press conference. “It’s a digital bridge that we built between the brain and the spinal cord. It is not a matter of simple stimulation, but, he noted, an interface that allows direct communication between the brain and the spinal cord.” In other words, “there is a synchronicity between the intention to walk and the act of walking.” . It is the brain that calibrates the commands and adapts them to the patient’s situation in real time. This, the researchers note, “results in a significant increase in quality of life, with the ability to roam around alone near the house, get in and out of a car, or have a drink with friends at the bar.” The device took five minutes to calibrate and remained stable and efficient for over a year, even when the man was at home without the researchers’ supervision.
The goals “Our next goal is very small systems and we expect the technology to make incredible advances thanks to miniaturization,” Courtine remarked. In parallel, the researchers are working to continue the experiment, which will involve three paralyzed people in the next step.
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