A promising trial of spinal electrical stimulation that instantly boosts movement and dexterity in the arms and hands of stroke survivors has the potential to greatly improve quality of life for those with chronic motor function loss.
Research indicates that up three quarters of people who suffer a stroke continue to have hand and arm motor function impairments, including hemiparesis, the weakening or partial paralysis of the limb, that makes day-to-day tasks difficult.
Now, scientists from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University have found that stimulating the spinal cord with a pair of thin metal electrodes implanted at the neck and using electrical pulses along the arm to engage intact neural circuits can result in distinctly improved movement. Until this pilot study, there’s been little research into epidural stimulation of the cervical spinal cord for upper-limb treatment.
Read more at: https://newatlas.com/medical/spinal-cord-stimulation-limb-mobility-stroke-survivors/
