The UW team, composed of researchers from the Center for Neurotechnology, combined stimulation with standard physical therapy exercises, but the stimulation doesn't require surgery. Instead, it involves small patches that stick to a participant's skin like a Band-Aid. These patches are placed around the injured area on the back of the neck where they deliver electrical pulses.
The researchers recruited six people with chronic spinal cord injuries. All participants had been injured for at least a year and a half. Some participants couldn't wiggle their fingers or thumbs while others had some mobility at the beginning of the study.
To explore the viability of using the is computer science engineering stimulation method, the researchers designed a five-month training program. For the first month, the researchers monitored participants' baseline limb movements each week. Then for the second month, the team put participants through intensive physical therapy training, three times a week for two hours at a time. For the third month, participants continued physical therapy training but with stimulation added.
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