Using a spinal cord implant, Swiss researchers corrected a Parkinson’s patient’s mobility problems. The 62-year-old man can now walk fluently again and without falling, as shown in a study published on Monday in the journal Nature Medicine. “Now I can walk with much more confidence. My daily life has improved enormously,” said patient Marc, from France, at a press conference about the study.
Neuroprosthesis stabilizes impaired posture
He received the so-called neuroprosthesis, developed by an international research team led by Jocelyne Bloch and Gregoire Courtine from the Lausanne University Hospital (Chuv) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). Impairments in posture, balance and gait affect about 90% of all Parkinson’s patients in advanced stages, as the researchers write in the study. According to scientists, a typical symptom of Parkinson’s is a sudden blockage of movement, known as freezing.
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Typically, Parkinson’s is treated with dopamine and electrodes in the brain, so-called deep brain stimulation, Chuv and EPFL explained in a statement. However, these therapies are often not effective against gait disorders. Same with Marc. The patient from Bordeaux (F) has been living with Parkinson’s disease since 1996. In the early stages of the disease, dopamine therapy and later deep brain stimulation helped him, as he said at a press conference. However, he has recently developed severe gait problems. “I practically couldn’t walk anymore. I fell five or six times a day,” Marc said. “I often stayed home because of that.”
Patient describes therapy as “rebirth”
In 2021, the Lausanne neuroprosthesis was implanted in his spinal cord. The patient described this therapy as “rebirth”. Today, he wears the neuroprosthesis about eight hours a day and only turns it off when sitting or sleeping for long periods, he said. The neuroprosthesis consists of electrodes in the spinal cord and an electrical pulse generator implanted under the abdominal skin. The electrodes in the spinal cord stimulate so-called motor neurons and thus specifically activate the muscles.
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To stimulate the right neurons at the right time, the patient wears sensors on both legs. They are used to record the patient’s motor intentions and movement patterns and relay this information to the neuroprosthesis. The software translates these measurements into electrical impulses.
Equip additional patients with implants
“The idea of developing a neuroprosthesis that electrically stimulates the spinal cord to harmonize gait and correct movement disorders in Parkinson’s patients is the result of several years of research,” Courtine said in the press release from the two institutions. What is innovative is that the therapy does not target the regions of the brain that are directly affected by the loss of dopamine-producing neurons, but rather the area of the spinal cord responsible for activating the leg muscles. “I truly believe that these results open realistic prospects for developing a treatment that alleviates gait disturbances caused by Parkinson’s,” Bloch said at the press conference.
So far, however, the effectiveness of the neuroprosthesis has only been tested in one patient. More studies will be needed before the implant is widely available. The researchers hope to implant a corresponding neuroprosthesis in six more patients over the next two years.
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The researchers emphasized in the study that the prosthesis also needs to be further optimized. A limitation of neuroprosthesis is that it requires good cognitive performance from the patient because it increases movements. “You need to be focused when the stimulation is activated”, confirmed patient Marc.