Tech,Space,Gaming, and Science Fiction News to wet your whistle
Electronic implant helps paralyzed people walk again
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
People paralyzed because of spinal cord injuries could one day be able to walk again, thanks to an implant that helps send "lost signals" from the brain to leg muscles. In Nature Medicine and the New England Journal of Medicine, research teams report that several patients -- all paralyzed from the waist down -- have been able to walk again after having the electrical patch fitted to their spinal cords. The approach is called epidural stimulation.
The device, originally developed to help manage pain, comprises 16 electrodes and is placed just below the site of the injury, covering the areas that send sensorimotor signals to the legs. A battery is then implanted inside the abdominal wall, which allows stimulation to be controlled wirelessly. When activated, the device appears to help signals from the brain reach the target muscles, so the person can voluntarily control their own movements again.
Several of the patients that have undergone the treatment are now able to walk, either with support from a frame, or with people on either side holding their hands. Speaking to Business Insider, Claudia Angeli, one of the lead researchers behind the study, said, "It was really amazing. You get to see the little small increments on a daily basis or a weekly basis, and then when it all comes together that is a very emotional time for the participants, and for the team as well in the sense that, okay, we got it, we're able to put the pieces of the puzzle together."
The device doesn't repair the damage, but rather helps brain signals circumvent it. And it's not a quick fix, either. Patients have undergone long and rigorous physical therapy to get to where they are now. Nor will it work for everyone -- two participants in the study didn't relearn how to walk, although they did show significant improvements in standing, holding themselves upright and moving their legs. Nonetheless, the findings are ground-breaking, and herald new hope for those previously told they'll never walk again.
The challenge now, is understanding exactly how the device works. Once the researchers have a better handle on that, they plan to expand the research to other injured participants. "We know the spinal cord can now do this thing, it can regain the ability to walk," Angeli says. "That is huge. We need to be able to reproduce this in a larger number of individuals with different injuries and different time since injuries."
Note-taking app Evernote has fallen on hard times of late, culminating in its latest spate of job cuts impacting 15 percent of its workforce (54 employees). CEO Chris O' Neil -- an ex-Googler who took the reins in 2015 -- announced the firings at an all-hands meeting earlier today, reports TechCrunch . In a message on the Evernote blog , O' Neill admitted he'd set "incredibly aggressive goals" for the company in 2018. He continued: "Going forward, we are streamlining certain functions, like sales, so we can continue to speed up and scale others, like product development and engineering." The layoffs follow an exec exodus just weeks ago and the company's recent brand refresh (complete with a refined logo and wordmark). But critics are more concerned about its product, especially the free tier, which they claim lacks the perks to...
By Liam McCabe This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter . When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here . After six summers of researching, testing, and recommending window air conditioners, we've learned that quiet and affordable ACs make most people the happiest—and we think the LG LW8016ER will fit the bill in most rooms. This 8,000 Btu unit cools as efficiently and effectively as any model with an equal Btu rating, and runs at a lower volume and deeper pitch than others at this price. Little extra features like a fresh-air vent, two-axis fan blades, and a removable drain plug help set it apart, too. The LG LW8016ER is a top choice for an office or den, and some people will find it quiet enough for a bedroom, too. If our main pic...
Pre-loaded cartridges of cannabis concentrate are currently among the most popular means of consumption, and for good reason. They're discreet to use and easy to handle, a far cry from the dark days of 2016 when we had to dribble hash oil or load wax into narrow-mouthed vape pens by hand. But, frustratingly, an ever increasing number of oil cartridge manufacturers employ one-off design standards so that their products won't work with those of their competitors, thereby locking customers into proprietary ecosystems. We've already seen this with nicotine vaporizers -- which has a seen a massive rise in "pod systems" in the last few years, each outfitted with a unique canister and battery built to be incompatible with those of their competition. Is it too late for the burgeoning cannabis industry to set a universal standard for their product designs? ...
Comments
Post a Comment