New electronic implant developed to help recover from spinal cord injuries and paralysis
Irish scientists have developed an electronic implant that could boost recovery from spinal cord injuries. Tests show improvement in people with the injuries, which affect between 250,000 and 500,000 people each year, leaving many paralyzed and with reduced mobility.
Spinal cord injury is complicated by the difficulty of recovery. After the injury, the axonal projections of the nerve cells in the cord die and a gap forms at the site of the injury that prevents the ends of the cord from joining, making regeneration impossible.
The solution may be a new device. It is an implantable scaffold that will be placed at the site of the injury. It is a 3D printed electrical conductor that will fill the gap by taking up space, and through electrical stimulation will allow axons to regenerate.
By applying electrical stimulation to the implant, it can transmit electrical signals to grow damaged axons. This is combined with the implant’s architecture, which adapts to the gap and redirects the axons so they grow back in the correct position. The spinal cord is key to movement and other bodily functions, and it’s even been linked to depression.
“When we applied electrical stimulation for a week to the neurons growing on this scaffold, they developed long, healthy extensions called neurites. In the body, this type of growth would be a key step toward repair and recovery after injury,” said lead author Liam Leahy of the studio. The study can be read in the journal Science Direct .
In recent years, science has succeeded in improving the quality of life of people who have suffered spinal cord injuries, many of which lead to paralysis. Apart from this promising implant, there is another improvement for people with limited mobility: the Neuralink chip. Thanks to it, quadriplegics are now able to control computers and even play video games better than people who do it with their hands.