In a world first, surgeons have used a technique called deep brain stimulation to

Paralysed patients able to walk short distances after having electrodes implanted in their brains

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2024-12-02 18:30:07

In a world first, surgeons have used a technique called deep brain stimulation to "re-awaken" dormant nerve fibres in the spinal cord and re-establish control of the leg muscles.

Two paralysed patients have been able to walk short distances and even climb stairs once more after being implanted with electrodes in their brains.

But in a world first, surgeons used a technique called deep brain stimulation to "re-awaken" dormant nerve fibres in the spinal cord and re-establish control of the leg muscles.

But since being implanted with electrodes two years ago, he has worked intensively with physiotherapists to recover movement of his limbs.

He told Sky News: "If I want, I can walk a little bit, or go up and down the stairs, or if I need something in the kitchen where I have to stand up I can do it.

The breakthrough came after neuroscientists at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute in Lausanne (EPFL) used artificial intelligence to map all the neurons in the brain involved in helping rats and mice walk.