Rat Walks Again After Spinal Cord Injury. A Cure For Human Paralysis?
The rat you see in the above photo, besides being in an action shot you'd compare to the likes of a 90s training montage, was paralysed with a spinal cord injury just a few weeks ago. Thanks to a special treatment developed by researchers at the EPFL, control over its own limbs has been regained, posing a possible cure to human paralysis.
Brain-Activated Muscle Stimulation Restores Movement After Paralysis
All nerves and brain signals to operate your limbs go through the spinal cord, so most forms of paralysis occur due to damage of this area. But what if this was bypassed entirely, and your brain directly controlled these otherwise motionless limbs instead? This is a feat that researchers at Chicago's Northwestern University have been successful in carrying out.