Spine muscle atrophy (SMA) is a genetic neuromuscular disease that often suffers from muscle weakness that affects movement.
New research shows that spinal cord stimulation can improve muscle function in these patients and even restore the ability to walk.
In a study at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, courses that show spinal cord stimulation restores motor neuron activity and improves muscle strength in legs of SMA patients.
The findings were published in Natural Medicine on February 5.
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“All patients have a rare disease that destroys neurons in the spinal cord (very much like polio) due to genetic diseases at birth,” said Peter Konrad, Ph.D., chairman of the neurosurgery department at the WVU Rockefeller Institute of Neuroscience. Fox News figures. (Conrad was not involved in the study.)
Study participant Doug McCullough used an adaptive sport bike during his test at the University of Pittsburgh. (Nate Langer, UPMC and University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences)
“This disease weakens the ability to legs and walk… causes a slow form of paralysis. The input to stimulate the rest of the neurons is believed to improve the strength and endurance of patients treated in this way.”
Two things are needed to counteract neurodegenerative things: Neuron death must be stopped, and the function of surviving neurons must be restored, says Marco Capogrosso, a study co-author of Marco Capogrosso, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Pitt Medical School.
“There is no major breakthrough in curing this disease, so treatment remains focused on helping improve its quality of life.”
“In this study, we propose a method to treat the root causes of neurological dysfunction, complementing existing neuroprotective therapies through a new approach to reverse neuronal dysfunction,” Capogrosso said in a press release.
Three people with SMA participated in the study. Within a month, they received spinal cord stimulation five times a week, four hours a day. At the end of the trial period, they all experienced “improving motor neuron function, reducing fatigue and improving strength and walking for all participants.”
Study participant Doug McCullough used a weight support system to walk during the test at the University of Pittsburgh. (Nate Langer, UPMC and University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences)
“The three patients increased step length by an average of 40%, strength by 180%, and walking time by 26 minutes,” Konrad said according to a review of the study.
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“It’s a big deal for patients with this disease, who rely on assistive devices to have less durability.”
One of the participants, Doug McCullough, was experiencing advanced symptoms and was having difficulty walking.
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He said in his release: “Because my hip flexors are so weak, I basically have this wading gait, hips swaying back and forth, my legs swaying to the side because I can’t pick them up directly. ” “It’s clear from the video that my walking has improved and I’m walking faster. My gait is more natural. It’s still not completely normal, but better than the previous gait I did.”
Researchers Genis Prat Ortega (left) and Serena Donadio (right) were with study participant Doug McCullough (center) during the test at the University of Pittsburgh. (Nate Langer, UPMC and University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences)
Although SMA is a progressive disease that worsens over time, the patients in the study have improved significantly, said Elvira Pirondini, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Pitt Medical School.
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“Our study participants improved in several clinical outcomes and improved daily life activities over the four weeks of treatment,” she said in a press release.
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“For example, at the end of the study, a patient reported being able to walk from home to the lab without fatigue.”
According to Konrad, the study is a “proof of concept” that brings hope for people with this genetic disability.
“At the end of the study, one patient reported being able to walk from his home to the lab without getting tired.”
“There is no major breakthrough in curing the disease, so treatment is still focused on helping improve its quality of life,” he told Fox News Digital.
“This also shows that when devices such as spinal cord stimulation and other types of neuromodulation are a safe and effective way to treat paralysis, while when the form of drug or gene therapy is almost impossible to provide.”
Graduate student Scott Ensel (left) assisted study participant Doug McCullough in a test course at the University of Pittsburgh. (Nate Langer, UPMC and University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences)
Going forward, the team plans to continue research with other SMA patients in a new clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of treatment.
In the future, they hope to apply this therapy to other neurodegenerative diseases, such as ALS or Huntington’s disease.
