It is not a regrowth of the cut spinal connection but it is apowerful indication that the remaining nervous system can reroutemessages to compensate and trigger automatic systems that have beenstranded down stream from the cut. Central to this is ongoingelectrical stimulation. All this can be improved upon with therapyand application.
What it also tells us is that a practical protocol can be developedfor all victims with serious hope that two objectives are reasonable.
1 Some function recovery is possible and plausible. Again every bithelps.2 Actual degeneration below the severed nerve system can be avoidedsupporting good health.
This is very good news for everyone. In this way it may be possibleto restore general fitness below the sever.
Spinal cord damage repaired
OCTOBER 24, 2012
http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/10/spinal-cord-damage-repaired.html
New Scientist -Paralysis may no longer mean life in a wheelchair. A man who isparalysed from the trunk down has recovered the ability to stand andmove his legs unaided thanks to training with an electrical implant.
A 16-electrodearray implanted into the lower region of his spinal cord, whichstimulated spinal nerves with continuous electrical activity andtraining helped to restore function.
Andrew Meas ofLouisville, Kentucky, says it has changed his life (see "Isuddenly noticed I can move my pinkie", below). The stimulusprovided by the implant is thought to have either strengthenedpersistent "silent" connections across his damaged spinalcord or even created new ones, allowing him to move even when theimplant is switched off.
The resultsare potentially revolutionary, as they indicate that the spinal cordis able to recover its function years after becoming damaged.
Previousstudies in animals with lower limb paralysis have shown thatcontinuous electrical stimulation of the spinal cord below the areaof damage allows an animal to stand and perform locomotion-likemovements. That's because the stimulation allows information aboutproprioception – the perception of body position and muscle effort– to be received from the lower limbs by the spinal cord. Thespinal cord, in turn, allows lower limb muscles to react and supportthe body without any information being received from the brain
The Journal ofNeuroscience - Novel and Direct Access to the Human Locomotor SpinalCircuitry (2010)
Lancet (2011) -Effect of epidural stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord onvoluntary movement, standing, and assisted stepping after motorcomplete paraplegia: a case study
Last year, SusanHarkema and Claudia Angeli at the Frazier Rehab Institute andUniversity of Louisville in Kentucky and colleagues tested what hadbeen learned on animals in a man who was paralysed after being hit bya car in 2006. He was diagnosed with a "motor complete"spinal lesion in his neck, which means that no motor activity can berecorded below the lesion.
First, the manhad extensive training in which his legs were moved byphysiotherapists while his weight was supported by a harness. Duringthis time no improvement was observed.
He then hada 16-electrode array implanted into the lower region of his spinalcord, which stimulated spinal nerves with continuous electricalactivity. When the implant was switched on and he was helped into thecorrect position, he succeeded in holding his own body weight andstanding on his first attempt.
Then somethingunexpected happened. Seven months into training on how to standusing the implant, he tried to move his toe while the stimulation wason. "He just started trying to move his toe," saysAngeli. "He was like, 'look it's wiggling!' Further testingshowed that he was able to move his leg and ankle, too – indicatingthat voluntary signals from the brain were crossing the lesion.
Over time, thevolunteer also gained increased bladder control and sexual function,and had better temperature regulation. All of these abilities involveinput from the brain, confirming information could now be sent acrossthe damaged area of the spine, as long as the stimulation was on.
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