He was paralyzed for 12 years: a man from the Netherlands got back on his feet thanks to an implant in his brain
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In the Netherlands, Gert-Jan Oskam, 40, who has been paralyzed for 12 years, is learning to walk again thanks to an electronic implant implanted in his brain. This is the first such case in the history of medicine, reports CBS NEWS with reference to the results of the study published in the journal Nature. For several years, Gert-Jan Oskam has been involved in the research of scientists, in particular, a neurologist from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Grégoire Courtin, who is engaged in the development of electronic implants. In 2018, Curtin’s team found that the technology could stimulate the lower spine and help people with spinal cord injuries regain walking skills. Photo: Gilles Weber During the last study about a year ago, scientists reconnected Oskam’s brain and spinal cord using a digital bridge that sends signals from the head to the lower limbs. “We captured Gert-Jahn’s thoughts and translated those thoughts into spinal cord stimulation to restore voluntary movement,” Kurtin explains. With its help, the man learned to stand, walk, climb stairs and cross difficult terrain. It is noted that during the entire study Oskam took part in 40 sessions of neurorehabilitation and can now walk at least 100 meters or more, depending on the weather. Gert-Jan Oskam, 40, was paralyzed for 12 years when he was in China and had a bicycle accident. “I wanted to walk again, and I believed it was possible,” Oskam said. Photo: CHUV / GILLES WEBER The researchers plan to reduce the hardware of the system, which is necessary for the operation of the implant, because now a man carries it in a backpack. Scientists predict that in the future this method will be able to restore the movement of hands and hands. They also believe that the technology could be applied to stroke survivors. Earlier we told that in Lviv, for the first time in Ukraine, a patient was implanted with a prosthesis in the bone. Read also: “Kesha” prosthesis instead of an amputated leg. How in Ukraine, for the first time, a child who lost a limb in the war is being given prosthetics
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