Strentrode- A New Era in Paralysis Treatment
Movement is something all of us take for granted. Walking and holding objects are second nature for us. However,many of us don't realize how many activities we will be barred of if we totally lost our ability to move our hands, body, and feet. Unfortunately, there are a few people in this world who lost their ability to move or feel anything due to fateful incidents, and the one wish all these paralysis patients long for is movement. For a very long time, the field of medicine has not been able to bring paralysis patients back to their original form where they were able to walk and run and the primary reason is because the surgery has a very high risk of death. However, neuroscientists at the University of Melbourne are developing a device called a strentrode that promises to bring back the kind of free motor movement back to all paralysis patients in a safe manner. It is also something that will change the way doctors treat paralysis patients and also give the patients considerable results compared to those offered by current treatment methods.
The object shown in the figure above is what the strentrode looks like. It is about the size of a paperclip and it is necessary that it is that small because it will be inside the brain of the patient. The curved wires of the device are present to go through wavy blood vessels without damaging them. We will see why this device needs to be in this shape and form soon.
First of all, what makes the strentrode different from normal electrode arrays? Safety is the answer. Normal electrode arrays can also help paralysis patients regain movement but the surgical procedure involves opening up the skull and implanting the array into the brain. This surgical procedure is considered to be extremely risky and may lead to death. However, a strentrode is implanted into the brain using a low-risk surgery method called catheter angiography. Basically, the strentrode is inserted into a blood vessel in the neck. Then, real-time imaging software is used to guide it to the motor cortex of the brain and that's why the device needs to be in that shape and form. The motor cortex is where signals for moving the body are created and communicated. The specific location where the strentrode will be implanted will be near the cortical vein over the motor cortex which is where it will be able to detect the neural signals that are produced by nearby neurons in the motor cortex. Also, tests conducted by researchers prove that the device provided free motor movement for more than 190 days, which proves that this device can be used for the long term. Therefore, the fact that this device can be safely implanted into the brain and can last for a long time makes it a better alternative to using traditional electrode arrays.
So, implanting the strentrode into the brain is significantly safer but how is it going to generate movement? The strentrode basically monitors the neural signals produced in the motor cortex and converts these signals into electrical commands. These commands are passed to a mobile assistance device or an exoskeleton which then carries out the appropriate movement. It's almost like implanting an artificial spinal cord.
Currently, this project is being funded by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). This treatment is not readily available for use on patients because it is being tested. Although, a project like this will definitely give patients a sense of newfound hope that they can regain something that they truly desire. This shows how much science and medicine is progressing in ways to make the impossible and high- risk treatments completely possible and safe.