VIDEO: Utilizing implantable devices hopeful in ‘restoring function’ in patients with ALS

PHILADELPHIA — In this interview, Michael Fisher, MD, highlights a keynote address presented by Leigh Hochberg, MD, PhD, from the International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology.

In the presentation, Fisher said Hochberg, a neurointensivist and vascular neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, discussed “restoration of function after neurological injury,” utilizing implantable devices to restore abilities, such as speech, in patients with ALS, as well as patients who suffered from spinal cord injury.

“I think it was incredibly compelling as we think about that possibility for our long-term survivors who may have what, before, were thought to be permanent deficits,” Fisher, a professor of pediatrics at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, said. “But I think there is a lot of hope about restoring function.”

Reference:

• Hochberg LR. Intracortical brain-computer interface for the restoration of communication and mobility. Presented at: International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology; June 28-July 2, 2024.