Neuroscientists and neurosurgeons at the EPFL/CHUV/UNIL, Inserm and the University of Bordeaux have designed a neuroprosthetic intended to correct walking disorders associated with Parkinson’s disease. In a study published in Nature Medicine, the scientists set out in detail the process of developing the neuroprosthetic that has allowed a first patient with Parkinson’s to be treated, enabling him to walk comfortably, confidently and without falling.

A complete spinal cord injury leads to irreversible paralysis. Scientists at .NeuroRestore report in Science that they have developed a gene therapy that was proven in mice to stimulate nerve regrowth across such injuries and guide nerves to reconnect to their natural targets below the injuries in order to restore motor function.

Neuroscientists and neurosurgeons from EPFL/CHUV/UNIL and CEA/CHUGA/UGA report in the journal Nature that they have re-established the communication between the brain and spinal cord with a wireless digital bridge, allowing a paralyzed person to walk again naturally.

A new study by scientists at the .NeuroRestore research center hasidentified the type of neuron that is activated and remodeled by spinalcord stimulation, allowing patients to stand up, walk and rebuild theirmuscles – thus improving their quality of life. This discovery, made innine patients, marks a fundamental, clinical breakthrough. The study waspublished today in Nature.

Most patients with advanced Parkinson's disease develop disturbances of gait and balance, which severely affect their everyday mobility, independence, and quality of life. Using a last generation deep brain stimulation implant able to simultaneously stimulate and record the brain, we identified the neural activity patterns that correlate with normal and pathological gait. These results open new avenues for the development of adaptive neuromodulation therapies that can target gait deficits and prevent falls in real-time.

A patient suffering from a debilitating neurodegenerative disease was able to get up and walk again after being bedridden for over a year, thanks to an innovative system developed by a team of scientists at the NeuroRestore research center headed by Jocelyne Bloch, a neurosurgeon at Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and Professor at University of Lausanne UNIL, and Grégoire Courtine, an EPFL professor in neuroscience. Their system includes electronics implanted directly on the spinal cord to reactivate the neurons that regulate blood pressure, thereby preventing the patient from losing consciousness every time she is in an upright position.

A system developed by Grégoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch now enables patients with a complete spinal cord injury to stand, walk and even perform recreational activities like swimming, cycling and canoeing.

A revolutionary implant developed at EPFL allows neuroscientists to activate or inhibit specific spinal-cord neurons by applying light at a specific wavelength. It will give researchers insight into how the nervous system works and the chance to develop new ways of treating neurological disorders.