Science and Technology Daily, Beijing, November 6 (Reporter Zhang Mengran) - A paper published on the 6th in Nature Medicine reported that targeted spinal epidural stimulation using implanted nerve implants improved the walking and balance abilities of a person with severe motor disorders caused by Parkinson's disease. These findings highlight the potential of using neural prosthetic devices to treat motor disorders in Parkinson's disease patients. About 90% of patients with advanced Parkinson's disease experience motor disorders, including gait disorders, balance problems, and frozen gait attacks. These obstacles reduce the quality of life and exacerbate related diseases, while existing therapies are not very effective. Targeted epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the lumbosacral spinal cord can regulate and control motor nerve activity, and recent studies have shown that it can restore standing and walking functions in paralyzed individuals caused by spinal cord injury. Scientists from institutions such as the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the University of Lausanne Hospital have developed an EES based neural prosthesis that can naturally activate the leg nerves of Parkinson's disease patients and restore disturbed nerves. After extensive validation of the neural prosthesis in non human primate models, the team began the first human trial of the method. The subject is a 62 year old male who has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for 30 years and still has severe motor disorders after medication and deep brain stimulation treatment. The researchers first generated customized anatomical maps of the spinal cord region targeted by EES to guide precise surgical implantation of nerve prostheses. Subsequently, the wireless sensor worn by the patient is used to detect movement intention, triggering EES to activate the leg nerves and generate natural walking movements. The research results showed that the neural prosthesis improved walking and balance disorders in the subjects, and he further reported a significant improvement in quality of life (the patient has been using the prosthesis for two years, approximately 8 hours per day). These preliminary results indicate that targeted EES may be a potential treatment option for common movement disorders in Parkinson's disease patients. But currently it is still a proof of concept study with only one subject, and further research is needed in larger clinical trials to verify the effectiveness of this method. 【 Editor in Chief Circle 】 Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that often occurs in the elderly. Patients may experience uncontrollable hand tremors, tremors, slow movements, and may also experience olfactory and sleep disorders. Problems with the nervous system are always troublesome and difficult to cure. They can only delay the progression of the disease and alleviate symptoms. The method mentioned in this article starts with alleviating motor disorders and developing electrical stimulation nerve prostheses. After detecting the patient's movement intention, the prosthesis "commands" the leg nerves to work. Currently, this method has been tested on a patient. Further research is needed to determine whether neural prostheses can improve the movement disorders of more patients with similar diseases. (New News Agency)
Edit：GuoGuo Responsible editor：FangZhiYou
Source：people.cn
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