Three patients with severe spinal cord injuries are now walking again, thanks to a surgically implanted stimulator that delivers electrical pulses to the spinal cord.
Two studies, released yesterday in the journals Nature and Nature Neuroscience, show how this technology and intense physical rehabilitation enabled these paraplegic patients to recover leg movement.
Professor Bryce Vissel, a neuroscientist at The University of Technology Sydney, says they will have a research centre capable of administering this treatment in trials within the next year.