VOA健康报道2023--Swiss-designed Technology Helps Parkinson's Patient Walk Again

Marc Gauthier has Parkinson's disease.

The disease affects his nervous system, weakens his muscles and causes his arms and legs to shake.

The 63-year-old Gauthier had not been able to leave his home for some time. But that was until he became the first person to receive a new Swiss-designed medical device that greatly improved his ability to walk.

Gauthier received a medical device called a neuroprosthetic at Switzerland's Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV). Part of the device, called an electrode field, is placed against part of the nervous system which runs in the back called the spinal¹ cord. Another part of the device, found under his skin below the stomach, uses electricity to stimulate² the spinal cord to start up his leg muscles. It is called an electrical impulse generator³.

"It changed my life because I'm now independent," said Gauthier, a native of the French city of Bordeaux, as he sat with his doctors at CHUV. "I can leave my home, run errands. I even go on foot."

The number of people affected⁴ by Parkinson's disease has doubled over the past 25 years, the World Health Organization found. Worldwide estimates showed that more than 8.5 million people suffered from the disease in 2019.

Grégoire Courtine is one of the doctors leading the project. He said the electrical pulses delivered to Gauthier's spinal cord has permitted him to walk the way he would have without the disease.

"We strongly believe that many individuals could benefit from this therapy," said Courtine. He is a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), the University of Lausanne and CHUV.

The study was published in Nature Medicine recently. The findings by Courtine's team at the NeuroRestore research center suggest the technology could be used more widely in patients with more progressed Parkinson's. Many of those with more progressed, or advanced, Parkinson's have severe problems with being able to move.

Dave Marver is chief executive officer of Onward⁵ Medical, which designed the medical device. He said that the device was similar to another device called an implantable defibrillator and those used to deal with pain. But he added the device is special in the way that it targets the spinal cord.

"For the health care system, it will look and feel familiar, but it will offer therapy that doesn't exist today," he said.

Courtine's team plans to carry out continuing researching and test the device on six new patients next year.

Jocelyne Bloch is the doctor who performed the operation on Gauthier and co-director of NeuroRestore. She said with this therapy, if people can gain belief in themselves and can go out, socialize and do more things, it is a big plus "... in their daily activities and quality of life."

Words in This Story

nervous system – n. the system of nerves in your body that sends messages for controlling movement and feeling between the brain and the other parts of the body

stimulate – v. to make (something) more active

errand – n. a short journey that you take to do or get something

pulses – n. a brief increase in an amount of electricity, light, or sound

therapy – n. the treatment of physical or mental illnesses

familiar – adj. frequently seen, heard, or experienced

1 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

2 stimulate   

vt.刺激，使兴奋；激励，使…振奋

参考例句：

• Your encouragement will stimulate me to further efforts.你的鼓励会激发我进一步努力。
• Success will stimulate the people for fresh efforts.成功能鼓舞人们去作新的努力。

3 generator   

n.发电机，发生器

参考例句：

• All the while the giant generator poured out its power.巨大的发电机一刻不停地发出电力。
• This is an alternating current generator.这是一台交流发电机。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 onward   

adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
• He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。