A Novel Electromagnetic-Neurobiologic Interface for Functional Animation of Dormant Motor Nerve Roots in Spinal Cord Injury via Neuromodulation

Jawad Shah; Richard H Smith; Abeer Al-Gharaibeh

doi:10.3389/fsurg.2019.00073

A Novel Electromagnetic-Neurobiologic Interface for Functional Animation of Dormant Motor Nerve Roots in Spinal Cord Injury via Neuromodulation

Front Surg. 2020 Jan 10:6:73. doi: 10.3389/fsurg.2019.00073. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Jawad Shah^{1

2

3

4}, Richard H Smith², Abeer Al-Gharaibeh^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, Insight Institute of Neurosurgery & Neuroscience, Flint, MI, United States.
² Department of Research, Insight Institute of Neurosurgery & Neuroscience, Flint, MI, United States.
³ Center for Cognition and Neuroethics, University of Michigan-Flint - IINN, Flint, MI, United States.
⁴ Department of Medicine, College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States.

Abstract

Complete spinal cord injury is a devastating occurrence afflicting millions of people worldwide with no available treatment for functional motor recovery. In this report, we describe a procedure in which we used parts of a device available for chronic pain treatment to provide a neuromodulation of motor nerve roots in a case with complete motor and sensory paraplegia. By using a retrograde trans-foraminal approach to implant electrodes close to L2-S1 motor nerve roots bilaterally, we were able to stimulate those nerves and induce precise movements at the joints of lower extremity in a T5 complete spinal cord injury case. We believe that our approach shows potential of the device as a rehabilitation system with the possibility of a parallel electric circuitry that can bridge a damaged spinal cord.

Keywords: electrical stimulation; interface; neuromodulation; paralysis; spinal cord injury.

Publication types

Case Reports