Stroke - New therapy activates unused nerve tracts

Combination of neurorobot and brain stimulation helps with severe paralysis

More than one hundred thousand people in Germany can not move their hands normally again as a result of a stroke despite neurological rehabilitation measures. The limitations in everyday life are massive for those affected. Research is intensively seeking new therapies to help stroke patients get more quality of life. Scientists at the University of Tübingen have developed a new technology that activates unused nerve tracts with the help of brain stimulation and neurorobots. First applications yielded promising results.

The scientific team led by Tübingen neurosurgeon Professor Alireza Gharabaghi ​​has combined two particularly promising therapeutic approaches that can be performed completely without surgery. On the one hand neurorobots for rehabilitation are used and on the other hand transcranial magnetic stimulation is used. The researchers were able to prove that the combination of these two methods also activates previously unused nerve tracts. The results were published in the scientific journal "Journal of Neuroscience". Especially stroke patients with severe paralysis could benefit from this method.

A new therapeutic approach could soon help stroke patients with severe paralysis. The new approach combines brain stimulation and the use of a neurorobot. (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com)

Previous therapeutic approaches are not effective enough

The two methods were already used separately. While each of these two approaches has been shown to improve the effectiveness of neural pathways at hand, scientists also call for the recruitment of extra neurons to restore motor function. This is only possible if previously unused nerve tracts are activated.

What is the course of the new therapy?

Neurorobots for rehabilitation, called brain-machine interfaces, are controlled by the patient's brain signals and can thus open and close a paralyzed hand when the participant imagines the appropriate movement. Meanwhile, transcranial magnetic stimulation is applied. The stimulation activates exactly the brain regions, which are responsible for these movements. The combination of the two methods could also activate unused nerve tracts. However, this only worked if the two methods were used simultaneously and the study participants also presented the corresponding hand movement, the researchers report.

New hope for stroke patients with paralysis

The scientists conclude that the effects of the new therapeutic approach are important for restoring motor function after a stroke. Especially for patients whose hand function has completely failed, the research results may be important in the future. The first test applications in severely affected patients confirm the results. The new therapeutic approach will now be examined in a larger study of the University Hospital Tübingen, which is supported by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation. (Vb)