PITTSBURGH, Pa. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Every year in the U.S., almost 800,000 people will suffer a stroke – that’s one person every 40 seconds. About 140,000 will die from it. Some people will fully recover, but for many, they will live with a lifetime of serious disability, including lasting deficits in the ability to move their arms and legs and hands. But now, researchers are using neurotechnology to instantly give patients some mobility back.
Heather Rendulic was only 22-years-old when she had her first stroke. Unfortunately, four more followed.
“The fifth and final one was a massive stroke. The left side of my body was paralyzed. I live one-handed in a two-handed world,” Rendulic emphasizes.
For eight years, Rendulic lost the ability to move her left arm and hand, until she became the first person to enroll in a study at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center using electricity to reconnect her brain to her arm.
“Think of it as the electrical wires between the brain and the rest of the body are cut from the stroke,” neurological surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Peter Gerszten, MD, MPH, FACS explains.
By implanting two thin neuro electrodes on the top of the spinal cord in the neck area, neurosurgeons can reconnect the signal.
“It allows the patient to communicate, once again, between the brain and the rest of the body,” he adds.
Within minutes, Rendulic’s brain had found a new way of getting impulses to her muscles.
Dr. Gerszten says, “Even at night, when she went home and the device was turned off, she continued to improve.”
“It was just so amazing because I was moving my arm and hand in ways that I hadn’t in almost a decade,” Rendulic exclaims.
The trial lasted for four weeks and Rendulic’s implant was removed. She says as soon as it’s FDA approved, she wants it.
This neurotechnology is already FDA-approved to treat chronic pain. The next generation of this treatment will work to make it a device that will not need to be removed. Researchers are hoping FDA approval will make this the first treatment to effectively treat paralysis for people years after having a stroke. Giving new hope to people living with impairments that would otherwise be considered permanent.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Kirk Manson, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Source:
https://www.cdc.gov/stroke/facts.htm
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: NEUROTECHNOLOGY INSTANTLY HELPS STROKE PATIENTS MOVE
REPORT: MB #5224
BACKGROUND: The effects of stroke vary from person to person based on the type, severity, location, and number of strokes. The brain is very complex. Each area of the brain is responsible for a specific function or ability. When an area of the brain is damaged from a stroke, the loss of normal function of part of the body may occur. This may result in disability. The leading cause of paralysis is stroke (33.7 percent), followed by spinal cord injury (27.3 percent) and multiple sclerosis (18.6 percent)
(Sources: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/stroke/effects-of-stroke
DIAGNOSING: The brain is divided into 3 main areas: cerebrum (right and left sides or hemispheres), cerebellum (top and front of the brain), and brainstem (base of the brain). Depending on which of these regions of the brain the stroke occurs, the effects may be very different. If someone’s cerebrum was affected by a stroke, they may have difficulty moving or feeling sensation, speaking, eating and swallowing, seeing, and perception. If someone’s cerebellum was affected by a stroke, they may have left-sided weakness or paralysis and sensory impairment, visual problems, and/or memory problems. And if someone’s brainstem was affected, they may have trouble with breathing, body temperature control, weakness and paralysis, chewing, swallowing, and speaking, and/or vision problems. Doctors can diagnose stroke paralysis with a series of tests that include, but are not limited to: CT scans, cerebral angiograms, a physical exam, blood tests, or MRIs.
(Sources: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/stroke/effects-of-stroke
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/stroke/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350119)
NEW TECHNOLOGY: In a small study, researchers used a device that stimulates the spinal cord to restore arm and hand mobility in two stroke patients, allowing them to perform daily life activities, such as using a fork to eat a meal. The neurotechnology uses a set of thin metal electrodes implanted on the surface of the spinal cord. Electrical impulses from the device stimulate neural circuits in the spinal cord, priming them to receive movement signals from the brain. This engages muscles that have been weakened by stroke, allowing patients to voluntarily lift their arm, open and close their fist, and grasp household objects. They found that continuous stimulation targeting the cervical sensory nerve roots of the spinal cord immediately improved strength, range of motion, and function of the arm and hand. Stimulation also enabled participants to perform complex tasks that require more skill and dexterity, such as using utensils to eat and opening a lock, activities that they had not done in years. Neurotechnology
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Anastasia Gorelova
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