The Lancet Paper on "Spinal Cord Damage" -some improvement in Movements of Paralyzed Patients

The patient seems to have had the following type of spinal cord damage:
 The Lancet Quote "An individual three years post C7-T1 subluxation presented with a complete loss of clinically detectable voluntary motor function and partial preservation of sensation below the T1 cord segment" end of Quote.

In this interesting Lancet paper on neuronal recovery/functional recovery, the authors claims they have noticed significant improvement of Paralyzed patients after implant and electrical stimulation. This new positive results was not achieved by the same group in their own earlier clinical studies,  authors say "we have not seen such a result in their earlier research studies". 

Spinal cord stimulation studies been done both in lab rats as well as paralyzed patients. This is the latest report on paralyzed patients responding to stimulation with visible movements, it is interesting but we have long way to go to have a wholesome or meaningful treatment of spinal cord damages, it all comes to the extent of damage, and severity of neural paths that are severed by accidents......if the integrity of both afferent and efferent pathways are preserved with mild or minor damages, the recovery can be significant, in cases were more than 50% percent damages or even more severe, that determines the possibility of any recovery. In either case, it is good to read some results. And, when it is published in The Lancet, got to be little credible to listen to the news?..

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Lancet. 2011 June 4; 377(9781): 1938–1947.

Published online 2011 May 19. doi:  10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60547-3

Effect of Epidural stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord on voluntary movement, standing, and assisted stepping after motor complete paraplegia: a case study

Findings

Epidural stimulation enabled the human lumbosacral spinal circuitry to dynamically elicit full weight-bearing standing with assistance provided only for balance for 4·25 minutes in a subject with a clinically motor complete SCI. This occurred when using stimulation at parameters optimized for standing while providing bilateral load-bearing proprioceptive input. Locomotor-like patterns were also observed when stimulation parameters were optimized for stepping. In addition, seven months after implantation, the subject recovered supraspinal control of certain leg movements, but only during epidural stimulation.