A man who was paralyzed for 12 years walks again thanks to brain chips - ForumDaily
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Man who was paralyzed for 12 years walks again thanks to brain chips

Gert-Jan Oskam, a paralyzed man, was able to walk again just by thinking about the process - thanks to electronic brain implants, reports with the BBC.

Photo: IStock

This is the first such case in the history of medicine and, according to Oskam, he changed his life. The 40-year-old Dutchman was paralyzed after a bicycle accident 12 years ago.

Electronic implants wirelessly transmit his thoughts to his legs and feet through a second implant placed on his spine. The system is still at an experimental stage, but a leading UK spinal cord charity has described it as "very encouraging".

“I feel like a baby learning to walk again,” Oskam said. Thanks to new technology, he can now also stand and climb stairs.

“It's been a long journey, but now I can get up and have a beer with my friend. It’s a pleasure that many people don’t realize,” he says.

The development, which was published in the journal Nature, was led by Swiss researchers. The operation to install the implants was performed by neurosurgeon professor Jocelyn Bloch from the University of Lausanne. She stressed that the system is still at the basic research stage and will not be available to paralyzed patients for many years to come.

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But she said that the goal of their team is how to speed up this process.

“The important thing for us is not just to conduct a scientific trial, but to finally provide access to the technology to more people with spinal cord injuries, who are used to hearing from doctors that they have to accept the fact that they will never move again,” the scientist says.

Harvey Sihota, chief executive of British charity Spinal Research, which was not involved in the study, called the development "very encouraging." But he also noted that there is still a long way to go before the technology is put into practice.

“While there is still much to improve in these technologies, this is another exciting step in the road map of neurotechnology and its role in restoring function to people with spinal cord injuries,” he said.

How the system works

The operation to resume the movements of Herta-Jan was carried out in July 2021. Professor Bloch made two round holes on each side of his skull with a diameter of 5 cm above the areas of the brain that are responsible for movement. She then inserted two disc-shaped implants that wirelessly transmit brain signals—Gert-Jan's intentions—to two sensors attached to the helmet on his head.

The Swiss team developed an algorithm that turns these signals into instructions for leg and foot muscle movements using a second implant located on Gert-Jan's spinal cord, which Professor Bloch attached to the nerve endings responsible for walking.

The researchers found that after several weeks of training, he was able to stand and walk with the help of a walker. According to project manager Professor Grégoire Curtin of the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne (EPFL), the man's movements were slow but smooth.

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“It’s so touching to see him walk so naturally,” he said. “This is a paradigm shift from what was available to us before.”

Brain implants are based on the preliminary developments of Professor Curtin, who used only a spinal implant to resume movement. He amplified weak signals from the brain to the damaged part of the spine using pre-programmed signals from the computer.

The first patient to receive a spinal implant in 2018 was David Mzee. After the operation, he was able to conceive a child with his wife, which was previously impossible for him.

However, when using this technology, the walking movements were pre-programmed and appeared to be robotic. It is also necessary to stop and restart the computer if desynchronization occurs.

Gert-Jan also only had a spinal implant before having brain implants. He says he has much better control over his movements now.

“I used to feel like the system was controlling me, but now I’m controlling it,” he says.

Neither the previous nor the new system can be used permanently. They are bulky and are still at the experimental stage. Patients currently use them for about an hour several times a week as part of their recovery.

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The ultimate goal is the miniaturization of technology. Professor Curtin's company Onward Medical is improving the technology so that it can be used in everyday life.

“It’s close,” says Professor Curtin. – Gert-Jan received an implant 10 years after the accident. Imagine what will happen when we apply our brain-spine interface several weeks after injury. The potential for recovery is enormous.”

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