(c) flickr & Ajith Kumar
ひき逃げ事故で脊髄損傷を負って胸より下が麻痺した男性が，電気刺激を使った新たな治療の結果，立ったり，助けを借りて足を踏み出したりできるようになった。用いられた下位脊髄の硬膜外電気刺激は，運動を開始するために通常は脳が伝達するシグナルを模倣した方法だ。刺激が与えられると，脊髄の神経回路網が足からの感覚的フィードバックと共に機能し，筋肉や関節に動くよう指示する。さらに，刺激を与えながら運動の訓練も行われた。より多くの患者で効果を試す必要があるが，麻痺患者の希望となる結果と言える。（吉田素子）
Paraplegic Man Stands, Steps with Assistance and Moves His Legs Voluntarily
Breakthrough Reason for Cautious Hope among Those with Spinal Cord Injuries
A team of scientists at the University of Louisville, UCLA and the California Institute of Technology has achieved a significant breakthrough in its initial work with a paralyzed male volunteer at Louisville's Frazier Rehab Institute -- the result of 30 years of research to find potential clinical therapies for paralysis.
The study is published today in the British medical journal The Lancet.
The man, Rob Summers, 25, was completely paralyzed below the chest after being struck by a vehicle in a hit-and-run accident in July 2006. Today, he is able to reach a standing position, supplying the muscular push himself. He can remain standing, and bearing weight, for up to four minutes at a time (up to an hour with periodic assistance when he weakens). Aided by a harness support and some therapist assistance, he can make repeated stepping motions on a treadmill. He can also voluntarily move his toes, ankles, knees and hips on command.
These unprecedented results were achieved through continual direct "epidural electrical stimulation" of the subject's lower spinal cord, mimicking signals the brain normally transmits to initiate movement. Once that signal is given, the research shows, the spinal cord's own neural network, combined with the sensory input derived from the legs to the spinal cord, is able to direct the muscle and joint movements required to stand and step with assistance on a treadmill.
［単語和訳］
Paraplegic：下半身不随の Voluntarily：自発的に Breakthrough：画期的な Cautious：控えめな Spinal Cord Injuries：脊髄損傷
UCLA：カリフォルニア大学ロサンゼルス校（University of California at Los Angelesの略） breakthrough：解明 paralyzed：麻痺した Rehab：リハビリテーション clinical：臨床的 therapies：治療 paralysis：麻痺
The Lancet：（医学雑誌の名称）
hit-and-run accident：ひき逃げ事故 standing position：立位 muscular：筋肉の periodic：断続的な harness：装具 therapist：療法士 treadmill：トレッドミル，ルームランナー on command：指示によって
unprecedented：前例のない continual：継続的な epidural electrical stimulation：硬膜外電気刺激 lower spinal cord：下位脊髄 mimicking：模倣した signals：シグナル brain：脳 transmits：伝達する initiate：～を開始する neural network：神経回路網 sensory input：感覚入力 derived from：～から派生する joint：関節
