SEARCH FOR SCI CURE: intraspinal implant could restore standing and walking after SCI

Now, before you start freaking out or get depressed over the thought of being turned into a robot before you can stand and walk, take a deep breath. The latest research work and advances in neuroprostheses have motivated a new wave of technologies aiming to augment the human body or restore its lost functions. Implantable spinal-cord-neuroprostheses aiming to restore standing and walking after paralysis have been extensively studied in animal models. Scientists are trying to use these prostheses in humans now.

An example of these neuroprostheses is the intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS) implant which is comprised of an array of ultra-fine electrodes that deliver electrical pulses to the ventral horns of the spinal cord. ISMS can produce functional movements of the lower and upper limbs (lumbosacral and cervical implants), breathing (cervical implant) or bladder function (sacral implant) depending on the targeted region within the spinal cord.

People tend to think the brain does all the thinking but the spinal cord has built-in intelligence. A complex chain of motor and sensory networks regulate everything from breathing to bowels, while the brain stem's contribution is basically "go!" and "faster!". Your spinal cord isn't just moving muscles, it's giving you your natural gait.

Because an injured spinal cord dies back, it's not simply a matter of reconnecting a cable. Three herculean feats are needed. You have to translate brain signals. You have to figure out and control the spinal cord. And you have got to get the two sides talking again.

Read more about this research HERE.