Non-invasive zaps to the spinal cord can treat paralysis--but no one knows why

[LiberalArkie]

With a zap of electricity from well-placed electrodes on the back of the neck, patients with tetraplegia can regain some modest yet potentially "life-changing" functioning of their hands and arms, according to data from a small clinical trial published Monday in Nature Medicine.

The relatively simple stimulation method—which requires no surgery—offers an accessible, more affordable, non-invasive means for those living with paralysis to regain some meaningful function, the researchers behind the trial say. However, the therapy's further potential remains limited given that scientists have yet to fully understand exactly why it works.

For the trial, 60 patients with tetraplegia underwent the stimulation therapy over at least 24 sessions during a two-month period. At the end, 72 percent (43 patients) saw clinically meaningful improvements in both strength and functional performance. Further, 90 percent (54 patients) saw improvement from at least one strength or functional outcome. There were no serious adverse events reported.

"The most exciting thing for us is that we're seeing effects that improve quality of life," Chet Moritz, a co-author of the study and co-director for the Center for Neurotechnology at the University of Washington, said in a press briefing. "And also, we believe that the stimulation may be causing neuroplasticity or, in a sense, healing part of the damage to the spinal cord injury, such that the benefits persist beyond stimulation."

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Snip

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/05/non-invasive-zaps-to-the-spinal-cord-can-treat-paralysis-but-no-one-knows-why/

[marble falls]

1. Jump start?

[EYESORE 9001]

2. This could be life-changing for some with paralysis

If it can be modified to treat lower back pain, count me in for trials.

[David__77]

3. The human body is an electrical entity, roughly 100 - 1000 watts depending on activity.

It seems unsurprising that such zaps would have an impact.

[mopinko]

4. best thing about this? it makes elooons brain chips moot.

at the bottom of the article is says they have submitted a proposal to the fda for an otc unit.
and this-

In response to a question about placebo effects, Reid recalled an instance during therapy in which she was holding a wide, weighted jar in her hand. With the stimulator on, "I was able to hold it quite comfortably," she said. But then, the stimulator was turned off, and the loss of the stimulation caused her to immediately drop the jar. "It was, to me, a real illustration of the increased power [from the therapy]," she said.

up next, a wearable unit?

[ecstatic]

5. That's wonderful and kudos to the researchers

I wonder what made them try? Did someone with tetraplegia (which I never heard of prior to this article) get nearly electrocuted and was able to move afterwards?

The human body is amazing.

Edit: so tetraplegia is the same as quadriplegia.

[nuxvomica]

6. It makes sense to my non-scientific brain

Normal neural activity must involve electrical charges that stimulate growth of cells and connections, which is why learning can make you smarter. It sounds like the body is being fooled into thinking there is such activity and it's responding with growth.

[rurallib]

7. Wow! I bet we can all see that some variation of this may be useful

to plenty of people we know. I wish them well on future research.

[lastlib]

8. It worked for Frankenstein's creature, didn't it? n/t

[multigraincracker]

9. How many volts are required?

I have an implanted pacemaker that works 24/7 and only has to be recharged about every 10 years.

[Prairie_Seagull]

10. Hell, early days but sounds promising.

Will definitely keep my eyes pealed.

We all know someone...

[raccoon]

11. You made my day. I was hoping I'd see this in my lifetime.

[yorkster]

12. Wonder if this could help with spinal stenosis

or osteoarthritis etc.

[electric_blue68]

13. Fascinating! Good luck, and keep researching.

Not sure how to describe what I'm thinking ..

It seems like a partial ongoing ?reset to the nervous system while it's on.
I hope that makes sense. 👍

[MagickMuffin]

14. I'd love to see the device they are using

But this technology has been around for a while. However, it is now considered woo.

Royal Raymond Rife (May 16, 1888 – August 5, 1971)[1] was an American inventor and early exponent of high-magnification time-lapse cine-micrography.[2][3]
Rife is known for his microscopes, which he claimed could observe live microorganisms with a magnification considered impossible for his time, and for an "oscillating beam ray" invention, which he thought could treat various ailments by "devitalizing disease organisms" using radio waves. Although he came to collaborate with scientists, doctors and inventors of the epoch, and his findings were published in newspapers and scientific journals like the Smithsonian Institution annual report of 1944, they were later rejected by the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Cancer Society (ACS) and mainstream science.
Rife's supporters continue to claim that impulses of electromagnetic frequencies can disable cancerous cells and other microorganisms responsible for diseases. Most of these claims have no scientific research to back them up and Rife machines are not approved for treatment by health authorities in the world. Multiple promoters have been convicted of health fraud and sent to prison.

Thank you for posting this informative article.

While the therapy is making improvements in patients' lives, the potential for it to move past these modest (though meaningful) gains is held back by a lack of understanding of how the therapy works. In the study, the researchers describe the stimulation therapy as being from two electrodes placed along the spine, with one below and one above the point of injury. The electrodes then produce a stimulation at "30 Hz with a 10-kHz carrier frequency overlay, which consisted of 10 pulses with a 10-kHz frequency and 100-?s pulse width." But it's unclear how this stimulation is improving muscle control and, potentially, spurring neuroplasticity.