A new preclinical study from the University of Pittsburgh suggests that an electrical stimulation approach could improve a patient's motor control, particularly in their upper limbs, and allow others with limited arm function to obtain partial function of their arms that lost their movements.
The research promotes that the limbs could regain some of their functions by stimulating the remaining nerves of affected people who got their conditions through a severe spinal cord injury.
Upper Limb Control in Paralysis and Stroke
The University of Pittsburgh Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs specialist and senior author of the study Marco Capogrosso explained that performing the simplest ar movement takes a lot of process for our nervous system and hundreds of muscles in our body, and replacing the neural control required for this activity with direct electrical muscle stimulation is challenging when done outside of lab conditions.
Instead of utilizing the common muscle stimulation methods, the team simplified the operation by taking advantage of the remaining nerves that connect the arms to the brain via the spinal cord, which would be a more effective approach to let paralysis patients regain their limb functions and improve their quality of life, Cappgrosso continued.
Problems with arms and hand mobility could inflict major limitations in simple bending of wrists to moving an entire arm. These deficits lead to life-altering complications for many people, especially in patients with stroke and paralysis.
Mild limb deficits could also reduce the quality of life of people as it targets the mobility individuals got used to their entire life. With that said, many recent neurorehabilitation studies developed potential methods to restore limb control effectively.
The abilities provided by the upper limb motions serve as an advantage for humans over other mammalian species. This control lets people rotate, bend, flex, and even extend the parts of an arm. One of the most useful functions of the upper limb motion we rely on is to grip objects and set our fingers to the shape of the materials.
Arms of Paralyzed Monkeys Improved Through Electrical Stimulation
The new study attempts to mend damage in people with limb control issues by stimulating the few active nerves left by the condition. The selected nerves for the study are what link the control from the brain to the upper limbs. Experts say that the muscles behind these movements would be able to perform again through an external stimulus developed by the authors, MedicalXpress reports.
The examination was made possible with the help of macaque monkey subjects diagnosed with partial arm paralysis. Each monkey was trained to reach, grip, and pull a mechanism in exchange for their favorite treats.
University of Fribourg Department of Neuroscience and Movement Sciences specialist Sara Conti, who also served as co-author of the study, said that the protocol their team developed is initiated through the patterns coming from the brain region responsible for the monkey's movement intent.
The brain implants administered to the subjects detect the electrical activity from the brain part behind the voluntary movements. Alongside these detectors, there were also a small group of tiny electrodes linked to an external stimulator that automatically turns on whenever the animal intends to move its arm.
The study was published in Nature Neuroscience, titled "Epidural electrical stimulation of the cervical dorsal roots restores voluntary upper limb control in paralyzed monkeys."
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