Devices

A fully implanted digital bridge that reads sensorimotor cortex with WIMAGINE epidural implants and drives epidural stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord, letting a person with chronic tetraplegia stand and walk. Nature, May 2023. Europe entry, secondary region.

Device — Cortical surface

Brain-spine interface (Lorach, 2023)

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brain-spine interface · WIMAGINE · epidural stimulation · spinal cord injury · walking · closed loop · Europe · academic · human

Brain-spine interface (Lorach, 2023)

One-line verdict: A brain implant and a spinal implant wired together in software. The participant walked with it, and kept some of the gain with it switched off.

Quick tags: Recording and stimulation · Brain to spinal cord · Human · Europe (secondary region) · Published 24 May 2023 (Nature)

Overview

What it is: A brain-spine interface (BSI): fully implanted recording and stimulation systems that link cortical signals to analogue modulation of epidural electrical stimulation aimed at the spinal cord regions that produce walking. The authors call it a digital bridge between brain and spinal cord.

Recording side: The paper uses WIMAGINE technology to record ECoG from sensorimotor cortex. Each WIMAGINE implant has an 8-by-8 grid of 64 electrodes (4 mm by 4.5 mm pitch) with recording electronics embedded in a 50 mm diameter circular titanium case. See the WIMAGINE entry.

Stimulation side: An implantable pulse generator connected to a 16-electrode paddle lead, targeting the dorsal root entry zones of the lumbosacral spinal cord.

What was shown: An individual with chronic tetraplegia stood and walked naturally in community settings. The BSI is calibrated within a few minutes, and its reliability stayed stable over one year, including independent use at home. The participant reports natural control of leg movements to stand, walk, climb stairs and cross complex terrain. Neurorehabilitation supported by the BSI improved neurological recovery, and he regained the ability to walk with crutches overground even with the BSI switched off.

Limits: One participant.

Spec Card Grid

Identity

  • Paper: “Walking naturally after spinal cord injury using a brain-spine interface,” Nature, 24 May 2023
  • Participant: one person with chronic tetraplegia

Architecture

  • Cortical recording: WIMAGINE epidural ECoG, 64 electrodes per implant (8 by 8, 4 mm by 4.5 mm pitch), 50 mm diameter titanium case
  • Spinal stimulation: implantable pulse generator, 16-electrode paddle lead, lumbosacral dorsal root entry zones
  • Calibration: a few minutes
  • Stability: one year, including home use

Evidence and limits

  • Not covered here: number of cortical implants and placement details beyond the abstract and figure legends; no 3D model of this combined system

References