In 2006, Wolfgang Jäger was in his 30s when a skiing accident left the young Austrian wheelchair-bound from a spinal cord injury. Fast-forward to today, where an innovative deep-brain stimulation technique is helping the 54-year-old Jäger walk and move again.

As hoped, zapping neurons in the brains of injured rats over the course of several weeks helped them, too, to regain the ability to walk. The improvements persisted even when the current was turned off, with analysis of their spinal cords showing an increased density of neuronal wiring below the site of their injuries.

Deep brain stimulation to the lateral hypothalamus has improved lower limb movements in two people with partial spinal cord injury.

A spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts communication between the brain and spinal cord, leading to partial or complete paralysis. But recent breakthroughs suggest an unexpected brain region could play a critical role in restoring mobility.

Researchers at EPFL and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), led by professors Gregoire Courtine and Jocelyne Bloch, have made significant advances in the treatment of spinal cord injuries (SCI). The scientists boosted the recovery of lower limb movements in two people with partial SCI by delivering deep brain stimulation (DBS) to

As the team explained, deep brain stimulation involves the implantation of electrodes into specific brain areas to help direct neural activity. It's long been used to treat illnesses such as Parkinson's disease and tremor.

Scientists said Monday that electrically stimulating a particular region in the brain could help people with injured spinal cords walk more easily, with one patient describing how the technique allowe