Two New Research Fields May Help Improve Lives With Paralysis

AMHERST, NY, November 06, 2012

Paralysis works almost unimaginably profound changes on the lives of those it touches. Daily activities become difficult and nearly insurmountable challenges. While technology has made some strides to help people deal with paralysis, paralyzed New Yorkers and other Americans have long waited for a bigger breakthrough.

Two areas are showing increasing promise and paralyzed people may have a new reason to hope for more progress. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a new human study to continue exploring a treatment program that worked well in animals. Laboratories around the world are also making big advances in brain-computer interface technology. Although Social Security benefits are available to help many paralyzed Americans, this new research could help increase mobility and independence in the future.

Schwann Cells May Be Able to Repair Human Spinal Cord Damage

The FDA recently gave a long-awaited green light to a new human testing project. This program will extend testing of a promising treatment method that worked very well in animal subjects. By injecting Schwann cells into paralyzed rodents, pigs and primates, the study was able to repair severe spinal cord injuries and restore mobility.

Schwann cells work a little like stem cells. Existing in the peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells transmit electrical signals through the body. Like stem cells, Schwann cells can grow and restore missing or damaged components.

This treatment method restored 70 percent of movement and function to completely paralyzed animal test subjects. The cells were able to survive and thrive while reconditioning damaged spinal cords.

The new phase 1 clinical trial will look only at whether the researchers can safely transplant human Schwann cells. Previous studies reported that transplant recipients survived without any toxicity or tumor development. If the safety study is successful, the research will be able to continue progressing towards a clinical application.

Computer-Brain Interface Can Connect People To Mobility Devices

The idea of moving physical objects with the human mind is a familiar concept in fantasy and science fiction. However, a growing field of study is finding more and more ways to put this idea to work to boost mobility in the real world.

This work focuses on finding ways to connect the human brain to computer devices. For example, one program developed a method by which a person could use brain signals to move a robotic arm. Similar research used a monkey to illustrate how a device allowed users to work with a virtual arm. The monkey not only moved the arm but was able to feel sensations back from it.

Another project is looking at exoskeleton devices. By connecting brain signals to a robotic exoskeleton, a person could sit in the machine and mentally manipulate limbs to move around. That same company already made a similar wheelchair that transmits brain signals from an EEG cap to the chair's steering system.

One expert estimated that only five laboratories were working on brain-computer interfacing technology as recently as 1998. Now, around 300 companies are hard at work developing these solutions.

While all of these programs still have a long way to go before rolling out practical and accessible solutions for paralyzed people, they do offer a lot of promise and hope. The near future might see big transformations in how we treat and respond to paralyzing injuries.

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