25-year-old Rob Summers, who was left paralyzed after a car accident, was able to stand and take a few steps following electrical stimulation of his spinal cord.

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25-year-old Rob Summers, who was left paralyzed after a car accident, was able to stand and take a few steps following electrical stimulation of his spinal cord, in what researchers described as a major breakthrough, Reuters reported.

"This is not a cure, and Rob's not walking," Susan Harkema, a researcher at the University of Louisville in Kentucky, cautioned. "Allowing people to just stand a few minutes a day can dramatically change their health."

Rob received continual direct electrical stimulation of the lower spinal cord to mimic signals the brain normally transmits to initiate movement. （点击路透社网站查看原文）

瘫痪男子神奇站立

       路透社消息，25岁的罗伯•萨莫斯曾因一场车祸瘫痪在床；但在脊髓接受电刺激以后，他居然神奇地站起来走了几步。研究人员称，此举意味着瘫痪治疗的一大突破。

       肯塔基州路易斯维尔大学的研究人员苏珊•哈尔凯马则说：“这并不是说我们把他的瘫痪治好了，罗伯实际上还不能真正地行走。但是瘫痪的人每天有机会站起来几分钟，对他们的健康是非常有好处的。”

       研究人员直接对罗伯的下脊髓施以持续的电刺激，这就好比模拟大脑功能，传递出了开始某项活动的信号。

(China.org.cn May 23, 2011)