Lifeboat Foundation

𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐲 𝐧𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬

𝙄𝙣 𝙖 𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙞-𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙘𝙤𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨 𝙤𝙛.𝙉𝙚𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚—𝙂𝙧𝙚́𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙀𝙋𝙁𝙇, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙅𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙮𝙣𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙝, 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙚 𝙐𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙃𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 (𝘾𝙃𝙐𝙑)—𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙟𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.

In a multi-year research program coordinated by the two directors of. NeuroRestore—Grégoire Courtine, a neuroscience professor at EPFL, and Jocelyne Bloch, a neurosurgeon at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV)—patients who had been paralyzed by a spinal cord injury and who underwent targeted epidural electrical stimulation of the area that controls leg movement were able to regain some motor function.

In the new study by. NeuroRestore scientists, appearing today in Nature, not only was the efficacy of this therapy demonstrated in nine patients, but the improved motor function was shown to last in patients after the neurorehabilitation process was completed and when the electrical stimulation was turned off. This suggested that the nerve fibers used for walking had reorganized. The scientists believe it was crucial to understand exactly how this neuronal reorganization occurs in order to develop more effective treatments and improve the lives of as many patients as possible.

Vsx2 neurons reorganize to restore walking

To arrive at this understanding, the research team first studied the underlying mechanisms in mice. This revealed a surprising property in a family of neurons expressing the Vsx2 gene: while these neurons aren’t necessary for walking in healthy mice, they were essential for the recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury.