Swiss-designed prosthetic helps Parkinson’s patient walk again
Swiss-designed prosthetic helps Parkinson’s patient walk again
The first Parkinson's patient to receive a neuroprosthetic designed in Lausanne is now able to walk confidently and without falling.
Neuroscientists from Lausanne and France presented a neuroprosthetic on Monday that corrects the mobility disorders associated with Parkinson's disease. Once confined to his home, the first patient to receive the implant is now able to walk confidently and without falling.
Walking disorders occur in around 90% of people with advanced Parkinson's disease. Up to now, there have been no treatments available in the majority of cases.
Marc, who is in his 60s, has been living with Parkinson's disease since 1996. Dopamine and then deep brain stimulation, which he underwent in 2004, helped treat his tremors and stiffness. But he also developed severe walking difficulties.
“I could hardly walk without frequent falls, several times a day,” explained Marc, the subject of the study, at an online press briefing organized by the Lausanne University Hospital CHUV and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). He also suffered from “freezing”, a blockage that caused him to be stopped in front of an obstacle, such as an elevator shaft, and be unable to move. ...