A team of scientists from the Federal Polytechnic School (EPFL), in Lausanne (Switzerland), in collaboration with the firm Medtronic (Ireland) and other institutions in Europe and the United States, has succeeded in helping two rhesus macaques with spinal cord injury to regain control of a paralyzed limb.
The animals have been able to regain their mobility thanks to a novel wireless device that restores communication between the brain and the damaged area of the spinal cord.
Through gentle electrical stimulation applied to the appropriate areas, neural networks are modulated to activate the leg muscles.
It is an implantable wireless system that works in real time and allows the primate to move without the restrictions of cables. Decipher the brain signals that encode flexion and extension movements of the leg with a mathematical algorithm. Then use those signals to stimulate specific points in the spinal cord.
