It tapped into "residual connections that are not being used" after a spinal cord injury. Still, "not everybody who has a similar injury will respond the same," cautioned Sadowsky, who directs spinal cord therapy at Baltimore's Kennedy Krieger Institute. New study 'gives hope' to patientsSevere spinal cord injuries leave the brain's "get moving" instructions unable to reach the nerves that activate muscles. Researchers have tried other technologies, such as encasing patients in robotic-like exoskeletons or implanting muscle stimulators, to help move paralyzed limbs. The spinal cord "relearns to do things, not as well as it did before, but it can function."

Source: CBC News September 24, 2018 17:15 UTC