The Paralyzed Rat That Walked

 Bionics  

In a recent TED Talk, Grégoire Courtine shows a new method -- combining drugs, electrical stimulation and a robot -- that could re-awaken the neural pathways and help the body learn again to move on its own.

A spinal cord injury can sever the communication between your brain and your body, leading to paralysis. Fresh from his lab, Grégoire Courtine shows a new method -- combining drugs, electrical stimulation and a robot -- that could re-awaken the neural pathways and help the body learn again to move on its own. See how it works, as a paralyzed rat becomes able to run and navigate stairs.

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Courtine and his team are are developing multifaceted neuroprosthetic systems, robotic interfaces and advanced neurorehabilitation procedures that are combined with neuroregenerative interventions. Using genetically modified mice, optogenetics, and novel viral tools, they also seek to uncover the neural mechanisms underlying the control of locomotion in intact animals, as well as the processes that reestablish motor functions after neuromotor disorders.

Courtine's work has led him to develop what he calls personalized neuroprosthetics.  Recently, the team published this research in the journal Science.  According to the reearchers, decades of technological developments have populated the field of neuroprosthetics with multiple replacement strategies, neuromodulation therapies, and rehabilitation procedures to improve the quality of life for individuals with neuromotor disorders.

Image Source: Courtine/TED

Despite the few but impressive clinical successes, and multiple breakthroughs in animal models, neuroprosthetic technologies for humans remain mainly confined to the laboratory. The team ties the core principles and latest achievements in neuroprosthetics, but also address the challenges that lie along the path toward actual application.  Courtine proposes a pragmatic framework to personalize neurotechnologies and rehabilitation for patient-specific impairments to achieve the timely dissemination of neuroprosthetic medicine.

SOURCE  TED

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