Improving Poststroke Mobility With Brain Implants: Mijail Serruya, MD, PhD

"Typically, the way it works is that it records residual signals. Even if someone has difficulty moving their limb, they often have the ability to make tiny little ENG signals.”

Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University recently initiated a clinical trial using a brain implant and robotic brace to test a method that could possibly offer hundreds of thousands of patients with stroke with long-term disability a new option for better mobility. The Cortimo trial (NCT03913286), led by Mijail Serruya, MD, PhD, represents the first patient implanted with electrodes who can walk and lives semi-independently.

Serruya has been working with this patient for the past 3 months to train his control of the brain-implant in order to drive movement of the robotic brace that was fitted for his impaired arm. While there are varying degrees of poststroke disability, the aim of the brain implantation is to assist the more common degrees of poststroke, straying away from the more severe cases that can lead to nearly total paralyzation or other serious complications.

Serruya, an assistant professor of neurology, sat down with NeurologyLive to discuss the mechanism of the brain implant procedure, and the advantages it brings.