Parkinson's: when a new neuroprosthesis allows a patient to walk almost normally

Yasmina Kattou and AFP / Photo credits: GABRIEL MONNET / AFP 18:14 p.m., November 06, 2023

This is a world first. Researchers have developed a neuroprosthesis to allow Parkinson's patients to walk fluidly, without any blockage and above all without falling. This is a revolution in the treatment of this neurodegenerative disease which, at an advanced stage, causes 90% of patients to suffer from very disabling gait disorders. In a study published yesterday in the journal Nature, scientists from INSERM and CNRS, in collaboration with Swiss researchers, detailed the development process of this prosthesis.

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A successful first attempt

Thanks to this prosthesis, the patient will be able to go from robotic walking, with the feet as if glued to the ground for a few seconds, to a fluid gait. This evolution is possible thanks to electrodes placed at the level of the spinal cord on the area responsible for walking. During a precision neurosurgical procedure, Marc, originally from Bordeaux, was fitted with this new neuroprosthesis, which also consists of an electrical impulse generator implanted under the skin of his abdomen.

Thanks to the targeted programming of spinal cord stimulations, which adapt in real time to his movements, Marc quickly saw his gait disorders fade. After a few weeks of rehabilitation with this neuroprosthesis, he returned to almost normal walking. "Now I can walk from one point to another without worrying about how I'm going to get there," the 62-year-old patient told AFP. "I can go for a walk, go shopping alone, go do whatever I want," explained the man who has been suffering from Parkinson's disease for about thirty years.

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"Widening access to this innovative technology"

This neuroprosthesis therefore opens up new perspectives for treating the gait disorders that many people with Parkinson's disease suffer from. However, at this stage, this therapeutic concept has demonstrated efficacy in a single person, with an implant that has yet to be optimized for large-scale deployment. The team of researchers will now continue the experiment on a group of six patients.

Scientists are therefore working on the development of a commercial version that must integrate all the essential features for optimal daily use. Clinical trials on larger numbers of patients are also due to start as early as next year. "Our ambition is to generalize access to this innovative technology, in order to significantly improve the quality of life of Parkinson's patients around the world," the researchers concluded.