Experiment lets spine-injured rats walk, climb

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In this undated photo provided by the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, a previously paralyzed rat in a special harness walks voluntarily after several weeks of rehabilitation in a laboratory in Switzerland. In the new experiment reported in the Friday, June 1, 2012 issue of the journal Science, researchers led by Gregoire Courtine, of the University of Zurich and the technical university EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, stimulated spinal nerve circuits and used physical training. The stimulation was electrical current from implanted electrodes plus injections of a chemical mix, helping the rodents overcome paralysis to walk and climb stairs. (AP Photo/Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne)Many scientists are working on treatments to help people with spinal cord injuries walk. Now there's a striking new demonstration of how one approach might work: Spinal nerve stimulation helped rats in a Swiss lab overcome paralysis to walk and climb stairs.

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