Forty-year-old Gert-Jan Oskam has begun to walk on his own after almost ten years with the help of implants in his brain and spinal cord.
In 2011, Oskam, a citizen of the Netherlands, suffered life-changing paralyzation after a tragic cycling accident in China. His doctors had told him that he would never walk again after breaking his neck; however, he is now able to stand, walk, and climb.
This amazing recovery was made possible by an ever-evolving program led by a team of neuroscientists in Switzerland. The program looks to develop softwares that helps reconnect the brain with muscles that have not been functioning since an accident. In Gert-Jan Oksam’s case, this is when his spinal cord nerves were partially severed while cycling. The particular implant that Oskam received is known as the “digital bridge” and aims to wirelessly transmit signals from the brain to the muscles in order to give him the ability to move once again. This idea is essentially the same process as bluetooth connection on many smart devices.
Like many scientific innovations, the trials for “digital bridges” were not an immediate success. In 2017, during the beginning phases of the recovery program, Oskam tested a system that recreated the steps of walking by sending signals from a computer to his spinal cord. By lifting his heels, something he could do himself, Oskam was able to trigger the electrical impulses in his spinal cord and take a step. While the device allowed him to take some steps, the movement was robotic and uncontrollable by Oskam.
In a more recent trial, electrodes were implanted in Oskam’s brain which identified neural activity that indicated he wanted to use his legs. The brain activity was then converted into impulses that were sent to the electrodes in his spine, which allowed him to move his legs with considerable ease. What was even more fascinating was that after forty sessions with the implant, Oskam was able to regain some of his leg movements when the implants were turned off – which showed that he had not severed all of his spinal nerves.
As the technology is still relatively new the device is not able to produce movement that is completely smooth and that mimics healthy human functioning legs, but the neurologists and Oskam believe that with time he will be able to produce more natural movement as compared to previous versions of the technology.
With Oskam showing progress in rehabilitation more than ten years after his accident, researchers and scientists are optimistic that other patients with more recent injuries may receive a similar or additional benefit. Grégoire Courtine from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne stated, “it’s more than 10 years after the spinal cord injury. Imagine when we apply the digital bridge a few weeks after spinal cord injury. The potential for recovery is tremendous.” Courtine also believes that connecting the brain and spinal cord can regenerate spinal cord nerves in paralyzed patients.
In the end, the development of the “digital bridge” demonstrates the rapid increase in the fields of biomedical engineering and paralysis therapy. The Switzerland-based neurologists are hoping that future devices may allow patients to recover other types of functionality, such as control over other limbs or organs.
