A new report in Nature gives hopeful news about how we could recover from paralyzing spinal cord injuries in the future.
Researchers describe a rhesus monkey regaining the use of its leg just six days after a paralyzing injury. The key is a wireless “brain-computer” interface, connecting an implant in the monkey’s brain to an electrical stimulator on its spine. By translating the monkey’s movement-related brain signals into electrical pulses on its spine, the technology helps the brain give the leg instructions to move — bypassing the injured part of the spinal cord.
