Brain Implants Help Paralysed Man Walk Again

Who got the brain implants?

Gert-Jan Oskam, a 40-year-old man from the Netherlands, lost the ability to move after a cycling accident 12 years ago. In July 2021, Professor Jocelyne Bloch from Lausanne University did a special surgery to help him. She put electronic implants in his brain and spine.

By cutting two small holes above the part of the brain that controls movement, she added disc-shaped implants that send signals wirelessly to a helmet on his head. These implants helped Mr. Oskman move again! It's like his brain talks to his body through these implants.

How do these implants work?

The Swiss team made a special computer program that helps move leg and foot muscles using signals from the brain. They used an implant in the spinal cord for this. Professor Bloch put the spinal implant on the nerve related to walking.

After practising for a few weeks, Mr. Oskam could stand and walk with a walker. He uses the system for about an hour a few times a week. This helped make his muscles stronger and brought back some movement in his legs, even when the system was turned off. It seems like his spinal nerves are healing.

Can other patients use these implants?

Professor Bloch said the system is still in the testing stage and will take many years before it can help people with paralysis. The next step is to do a big test called a clinical trial.

Before, paralysed people could only use spinal cord implants, but it made them walk in a robotic way. The new brain-spinal implant technology allows people to control better how they move.

A company called Oward Medical wants to improve spinal implant technology so that patients can use it daily. They hope to sell it in the future.