Half of spinal cord injury patients may still have connection
When James Stanley was 19 years old, a surfing accident left him diagnosed with a complete spinal cord injury, meaning all connection between his lower body and brain was permanently lost, according to a Brisbane times article.
However, an Australian study published Jan. 30 in the journal Human Brain Mapping found half of spinal cord injury patients—including Stanley—may still have some connectivity.
The study used fMRI to monitor brain activity of 23 participants with complete spinal cord injury and 21 people with no injury or spinal pain while researchers stimulated their big toes.
Somatosensory brain regions lit up in 48 percent of the spinal cord injury patients when their toes were touched, even though patients could not physically feel the touch.
"It's an amazing feeling, hearing that," said Stanley to the Brisbane times. "If doctors can identify people like me, then who knows, hopefully they can find treatments and rehabilitation techniques to help open up those connections."
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Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.