UT Dallas breakthrough medical study could revolutionize spinal cord recovery
The Brief
Researchers at UT Dallas have miniaturized an implantable device for spinal cord injury recovery.
Paired with physical therapy, the device has shown significant improvement, with potential even for patients injured decades ago.
The breakthrough challenges long-held medical beliefs, offering new hope for those with chronic spinal cord injuries to their neck.
DALLAS - Researchers at UT Dallas say they've made a historic breakthrough in spinal cord injury recovery with a recent implant study.
According to a Nature paper released on Wednesday by the researchers, a minuscule new implantable device paired with physical therapy has achieved significant recovery in clinical trial patients, including one 45 years post-injury.
The groundbreaking technology is the next generation of Vagus Nerve Stimuli (VNS), which the UT Dallas Nature study says is 50 times smaller than traditional devices.
The tiny implantable device, pictured below sitting on a penny, is used for a neurorehabilitation process called "Closed-Loop Vagus Nerve Stimulation," or CLV.
The first in-human study of the treatment took place in North Texas.
The researchers say their new VNS, when used in tandem with targeted physical therapy, led to significant recovery of hand and arm function in people with chronic spinal cord injuries in their neck. One participant included in the study sustained their injury over 45 years ago, they say.
Participants in the study who received the miniaturized VNS were reportedly found to have a dose-dependent improvement in their recovery, meaning the more therapy given, the better. In addition, the researchers have found no ceiling to the recovery potential.
The paper says clinical measures in the trial also improved identically to real-world function for the participants.
Why you should care
According to a Wednesday release from Dr. Jane G. Wigginton, emergency medicine physician and Chief Medical Officer for the Texas Biomedical Device Center at the University of Texas at Dallas, the discoveries laid out in the new paper challenge long-held medical beliefs.
Wigginton says the study's findings show that recovery is possible for spinal cord injury patients even decades after losing motor function; a discovery that defies "medical dogma."
Wigginton notes the North Texas achievement is a scientific success and a beacon of hope for patients all over the world.
What they're saying
"We're not just seeing gains on clinical tests — we're seeing patients fasten their own necklaces, zip jackets in seconds instead of minutes, and throw balls for their dogs again. These are the moments that change lives," Wigginton said.
The Source
Information in this article came from a UT Dallas Nature paper and UT Dallas' Dr. Jane Wigginton.
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