2 days ago
How UT Dallas researchers are helping spinal injury patients reclaim their lives
With a tablet propped up in front of him and a joystick-like device in hand, Marshall Bell looks like he's playing a video game. But it's actually physical therapy — powered by innovative, Texas-developed technology that's changing his life.
"I can officially shampoo my hair with my injured arm," said Bell, 35, of Arlington, with a smile. "It might take a while, but I am just ecstatic to be able to get it to touch my —" he said, moving his hand to his head to demonstrate.
Life changed by hit-and-run
Marshall Bell, 35
CBS News Texas
In 2016, Bell was hit by a car while walking along a Fort Worth street. The driver didn't stop. Bell was left with a partially severed spine and a devastating prognosis.
"His name was Dr. Gundy," said Bell. "He pulled my father into the room and told him, 'You need to make arrangements for your son. He might not be able to do anything on his own ever again.'"
At the time, Bell could only move his index finger. But he was determined to recover. Over time, he regained the ability to walk—but he wanted more.
UT Dallas leads breakthrough
Bell joined a groundbreaking study led by researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas. The study centers on a tiny, implantable device that stimulates the vagus nerve during physical therapy.
"That's the device," said Robert Rennaker, Ph.D., a retired Marine turned neuroscience professor and inventor. "It's just a little circuit board inside some glass."
Tiny device, big results
The device is implanted through a small incision in the neck and zip-tied to a nerve. It doesn't require batteries, is MRI-safe, and is charged externally with a device that resembles headphones.
"I can't feel it at all," said Bell. "In the test trials, I thought I had the placebo. Then they pressed it, and I felt the shock. I was like, 'Oh, all right, it's there!'"
Rewarding the brain's effort
During therapy, the device stimulates the vagus nerve to reward successful movements.
"I always tell people, I like to golf. I hit the ball well, and I'm like, yeah!" said Rennaker. "We're doing that, but we're doing it artificially."
"It's not exciting to relearn how to pick up a cup or put in an earring," said Jane Wigginton, M.D., chief medical officer at the Texas Biomedical Device Center at UT Dallas. "So we give them that same little zap to the vagus nerve that releases those same chemicals. It lays down that pathway so it gets easier and easier."
Hope for long-term injuries
Wigginton said the study has shown unprecedented recovery rates for spinal cord injuries, regardless of how much time has passed.
She cited examples like Hal, who is now able to point and type 40 years after his injury, and Amanda, who can now put on earrings by herself.
"In my mind, it's like a miracle," said Wigginton.
Years of research pay off
The research builds on more than a decade of neuroscience and bioengineering work at UT Dallas. Previous studies showed that vagus nerve stimulation during therapy could rewire the brain after a stroke. Now, the same approach is helping spinal cord injury patients make progress once thought impossible.
"I can officially dress myself completely," said Bell. "And I can fully open mason jars now! It's the little things."
Texas at the forefront
The Communities Foundation of Texas funded the initial production of the implantable devices. Researchers are continuing to fundraise and conduct clinical trials as they pursue full FDA approval, which they hope to achieve in the next three to four years.
"It's going to make North Texas the center of the universe in this sort of research," said Wigginton. "It absolutely will. It's that big."
The goal, researchers say, is to help patients reclaim their lives.
"I would say that is dead on what this is doing," said Bell.
