An ultra-thin spinal implant that delivers gentle electric currents has restored movement and touch sensation in rats following spinal cord injuries. The findings were published in Nature Communications and highlight the promise of electric field treatment for long-term functional recovery in spinal cord injury.
There are currently limited therapeutic options available for spinal cord injury. Nevertheless, low-frequency electric fields with changing polarity have shown promise in supporting axon regeneration and improving outcomes. Until now, however, metal electrodes have been prone to corrosion, and their epidural placement has limited their ability to penetrate the spinal cord’s electric field.
In the current study, researchers developed an ultra-thin transplant designed to sit directly over the injury site on the spinal cord. They tested the transplant in rats with spinal cord injuries. Rats have a higher capacity for spontaneous recovery than humans following spinal injury, something which allowed the researchers to contrast natural healing with that supported by electrical stimulation.
At four weeks, the researchers found that rats who had received daily electric field treatment showed more improvement in movement than those who did not. They also responded more quickly to gentle touch throughout the 12-week study.
Beyond improvements in movement and sensation, the study also confirmed that the treatment did not cause inflammation or other damage to the spinal cord, suggesting it is both effective and safe.
"This study offers an exciting proof of concept showing that electric field treatment can support recovery after spinal cord injury,” said study author, Lukas Matter, a doctoral student at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, in a press release.
"Long term, the goal is to transform this technology into a medical device that could benefit people living with these life-changing spinal-cord injuries," said study author Professor Maria Asplund, also of Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, in a press release.
Sources: Nature Communications, Science Daily