The Story The Story presents: Planet Hope - Restoring movement after paralysis
Nov 1, 2025
Grégoire Courtine, a pioneering neuroscientist, and Jocelyne Bloch, an innovative neurosurgeon, discuss their groundbreaking NeuroRestore project, which uses brain signals to stimulate the spinal cord and restore movement after paralysis. They unravel the science behind the 'digital bridge' technology, the challenges of voluntary control, and inspiring patient stories. Suzanne Edwards shares her emotional journey from complete spinal injury to regaining movement, offering hope for new possibilities in recovery and highlighting the project's vision for widespread accessibility.
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Digital Bridge Reconnects Brain To Spine
- NeuroRestore built a wireless digital bridge that reconnects brain signals to spinal stimulation to restore voluntary movement.
- The approach reactivates spinal neurons below the injury instead of attempting impossible nerve regrowth.
Paradigm Shift: Reactivate, Don't Regrow
- The team reversed the paradigm from regenerating severed nerves to reactivating intact spinal neurons below the injury.
- They use targeted electrical stimulation to bring these disconnected neurons back into functional states.
Biomimetic Space-Time Stimulation Works
- Biomimetic, space-time stimulation targets specific dorsal spinal sites to recreate natural muscle activation patterns.
- Precise spatial and temporal control of stimulation produces coordinated standing and stepping movements.