Thanks to electrodes implanted in the spinal cord, three paralyzed people have returned to walking. Published in Nature Medicine the scientific discovery that involved Silvestro Micera, full professor at The BioRobotics Institute, Sant'Anna School

Three paralyzed people are back to walking, swimming and cycling thanks to electrodes implanted in the spinal cord. This is the result of a study published in the journal Nature Medicine, which includes among its authors Silvestro Micera, a professor at The BioRobotics Institute of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. "The idea - comments Micera - is to reanimate the spinal cord under the lesion that is still functioning. The main innovation of this study is the possibility to personalize the electrical stimulation of the spinal cord. In this way, patients are able to develop more motor skills."

The study, coordinated at EPFL in Lausanne by scientists Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, has developed a device consisting of electrodes grafted into the spinal cord that send electrical stimuli generated externally by a computer to the patients' paralyzed muscles, which can be controlled without difficulty. In fact, patients can select the type of movement they want to do through a tablet, which sends electrical stimuli that trigger the muscles to contract.  The three patients experimented with the device and, in just one day of testing, were able to resume walking and control complex movements. The next step is to expand the trial to more patients and try to figure out what injuries this technology will work on.

The italian patient

Michele Roccato is one of three patients who have benefited from the trial. Four years ago, a motorcycle accident had caused him a spinal cord injury.  "The first steps were something incredible, a dream come true - he explained - now I am able to go up and down the stairs and I have as a goal, by spring, to be able to walk at least one kilometer".