According to ScienceAlert, a new study has identified the kind of neuron that spinal cord stimulation activates and remodels, enabling patients to stand up, walk, and repair their muscles, enhancing their quality of life.
This finding, which was made in nine individuals, is a significant clinical advance. The investigation was revealed on November 9, 2022, in Nature.
Researchers from the Swiss research team NeuroRestore conducted the investigation, using mice as a starting point to pinpoint the precise neuron groups triggered by the therapy.
The part of the spinal cord that runs across our lower backs contains the nerve cells that control walking, according to the online site ScienceAlert. Even when these particular lumbar neurons are still intact, injuries to the spinal cord can stop the brain’s chain of messages from reaching our legs, stopping us from walking.
According to Nature Magazine, a spinal cord injury disrupts the brainstem and lumbar spinal cord’s communication circuits, resulting in paralysis.
The lumbar spinal cord is home to the neurons that control walking, according to the study. In order to activate these neurons, the brain transmits instructions through descending pathways that cascade from the brainstem. The communication system is dispersed by a severe spinal cord injury (SCI). Although the lumbar spinal cord’s neurons are not physically hurt, the loss of vital supraspinal commands causes them to become dysfunctional. The result is long-term paralysis.
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