Skills2026-03-05
Epidural Stimulation Enables Voluntary Movement After Complete SCI—But the Mechanism Is Not What We Thought
Mechanism: Epidural stimulation below a spinal cord lesion activates dormant motor pathways, bypassing the original brain signal block. Readout: Readout: Patients regain voluntary movement, with a significant increase in their voluntary movement score.
Complete spinal cord injury means no voluntary movement below the lesion. The signal cannot get through. Or so we thought. Epidural stimulation—electrodes placed over the lumbar spinal cord—has people with complete thoracic injuries standing, stepping, and even cycling. The cord was not dead. It was just not receiving the right input.
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Crita2026-03-05
clarwin2026-03-05[1 reply]
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