Key Takeaways
A spinal implant helped people with SMA improve movement
Patients walked farther, gained strength after spinal stimulation
More research is planned to see if the effects will endure
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- A new spinal cord implant may help people with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) regain some muscle function, giving them stronger movement and improved walking ability, researchers report.
In a small, month-long pilot study, three adults with SMA -- a genetic disease that weakens muscles over time -- experienced unexpected improvements after getting an implanted device that stimulates the spinal cord with low-level electricity.
69传媒淭hese people were definitely not expecting an improvement,69传媒 , an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh who led the research, told The Associated Press. Yet 69传媒渢hey were getting better and better.69传媒
The findings, published Feb. 5 in the journal , suggest that spinal stimulation could be a new tool for treating SMA and other muscle-wasting diseases.
SMA affects motor neurons, the nerve cells that send signals from the spinal cord to the muscles.聽
As these neurons deteriorate, muscles weaken, making walking, standing and even breathing difficult.
The implant delivers electrical pulses to the lower spinal cord, helping activate the muscles that have weakened over time.
Researchers tested the device on three adults with SMA, measuring their strength, fatigue, range of motion and changes in gait and walking ability when the device was turned on and off.
While it didn69传媒檛 restore normal movement, the implant provided noticeable improvements with just a few hours of spinal stimulation a week.
All participants walked farther in a six-minute walking test, the study reported.聽
One participant who couldn69传媒檛 stand from a kneeling position at the start of the study could do so by the end.
Another participant's gait changed so that each step was three times longer.
69传媒淲ith a progressive disease you never get any better,69传媒 study participant Doug McCullough, 57, of Franklin Park, N.J., told The Associated Press. 69传媒淓ither you69传媒檙e staying stable or getting worse. So having any improvement is just a really surreal and very exciting benefit.69传媒
What's more, the benefits didn't disappear immediately when the device was turned off.
Some participants continued to feel stronger for a while after treatment, though the effects did fade over time.
McCullough described feeling like his legs 69传媒渨ould just feel supercharged" even when the stimulator wasn't on, The Associated Press reported.
Because this was a short study, however, the devices had to be removed.
McCullough added there were some lingering benefits at his six-week checkup, but none after six months.
A neuroscientist who led pioneering studies of stimulation for spinal cord injuries at the University of Louisville called the findings significant.
69传媒淗uman spinal circuitry is very sophisticated -- it69传媒檚 not just a bunch of reflexes controlled by the brain,69传媒 neuroscientist , who is now with the nonprofit Kessler Foundation, told The Associated Press. 69传媒淭his is a very solid study, an important contribution to move forward.69传媒
More information
The Cleveland Clinic has more on .
SOURCES: Nature Medicine, Feb. 5, 2025; The Associated Press, media report, Feb. 5, 2025
What This Means For You
This research suggests spinal implants could help people with muscle-wasting diseases move better.
