Spinal Cord Stimulation Improves Stroke Patients’ Arm And Hand Mobility

A special spinal cord stimulation neurotechnology can immediately increase arm and hand movement, making it easier for individuals with moderate to serious stroke to go about their everyday lives. That’s according to a study conducted by a research team at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh.

Stroke patients can open and extend their hands, move their arms over their heads, and use a knife and a fork to cut dinner for the first time in many years after having two thin metal electrodes inserted along the neck that activate undamaged brain pathways.

According to Dr. Walter Koroshetz, head of the institute that helped fund the study, this breakthrough should provide a ray of hope to the millions of people in the country who have been impacted by a stroke. However, it’s important to replicate these results on a larger scale to be more clear about which stroke patients will make the most out of these treatments, he added.

Stroke is a serious health issue, and professionals have a downbeat assessment for the future: One in four individuals over 25 will experience a stroke at some point in their lives, and for the majority of those people, the loss of motor function in one or both arms will significantly restrict their ability to live independently.

Presently, there are no medications that are successful for treating paralysis in the chronic phase of stroke, which typically occurs around six months after the stroke episode. Researchers believe that due to the introduction of this new technology, there is reason to be optimistic for persons with disabilities that are thought to be permanent.

Elvira Pirondini, the senior co-author of the research, stated, “Creating effective neurorehabilitation solutions for people affected by movement impairment after stroke is becoming ever more urgent. Even mild deficits resulting from a stroke can isolate people from social and professional lives and become very debilitating, with motor impairments in the arm and hand being especially taxing and impeding simple daily activities, such as writing, eating, and getting dressed.”

The goal of spinal cord stimulation is to stimulate dormant nerve cells by sending electrical pulses through a series of electrodes implanted on the spinal cord surface. This technology is already being used to treat severe, chronic pain. Multiple international research teams have already demonstrated that spinal cord stimulation can improve leg mobility following an accident impacting the spinal cord.

But a far more complicated set of challenges is introduced by the human hand’s distinctive dexterity, the arm’s vast range of movement at the shoulder, and the intricacies of the cerebral impulses controlling the arm and hand.

After years of exhaustive investigations, scientists were given the nod to test the optimized treatment on people. They used computer simulations and worked with macaque monkeys with immobilized arms to test their hypothesis.

Stimulation helped participants in a set of individualized tests move a hollow steel cylinder, grip typical everyday objects, and open a lock, among other activities. Clinical evaluations confirmed that cervical nerve root stimulation instantly enhances arm and hand strength, freedom of motion, and overall function.

Scientists were surprised to find that the benefits of stimulation lasted even after the device was withdrawn, suggesting that it may be utilized as both an aid and a restorative approach for upper limb rehabilitation.

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