Spinal cord stimulation helps paralyzed people move hands

NIH | JUNE 7, 2016

In past research, electrical stimulation of the lower spinal cord, combined with motor training, allowed patients who were paralyzed below the chest because of spinal cord injuries to regain some voluntary movement of their legs.

Restoring hand and arm function would have a major impact on quality of life for patients. Image credit: Farion_O/iStock/Thinkstock

A team from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), set out to test whether epidural stimulation could restore some hand strength and control in people with tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia (the loss of use of all 4 limbs).

The study included 2 people with severe injuries to their cervical spines—the spinal cord at the level of the neck. Both had been paralyzed for more than 18 months. They were implanted with an array of 16 electrodes that spanned their injury sites. The participants practiced grasping and moving a handgrip while receiving varying levels of electrical pulses from the devices. One person was tested daily over 7 days while the other had weekly sessions for 8 weeks.

The participants’ hand strength improved over the course of a single session. With additional sessions, the force they could generate gradually increased. Hand control, including hand opening and closing, improved as well. These effects were maintained even in the absence of stimulation.

Both individuals made large gains in feeding, dressing, bathing, and grooming. Their mobility in bed and ability to get themselves in and out of bed improved as well. One participant regained the ability to pick up and drink from a cup.

This is the first time that this approach has been used to improve function in the upper limbs of people with severe spinal cord injuries. The researchers believe that stimulation affects the spinal cord’s underlying circuitry, reawakening networks that have been silent since the injury. The circuitry starts to relearn and reorganize to become more functional.

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