Parkinson's patient walks confidently after spinal implant

What's the news: A Parkinson's patient is now able to regularly walk 6km after receiving a spinal implant.

Why should we believe it: This news is based on a new study published earlier this week by scientists in Switzerland. They created a spinal implant that enhances and corrects neural signals being sent to the legs by the brain. The same technology has previously been used to allow paraplegic patients to walk again.

The patient in the present study, a French man aged 63, was diagnosed with Parkinson's 20 years ago. Prior to the implant he found himself freezing and falling multiple times throughout the day. After the implant, he says he has experienced "a rebirth" and is now able to regularly walk a 6km circuit around a nearby lake.

Why this is a big deal: Parkinson's is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's. Around a million patients in the U.S. have Parkinson's, and the numbers are rising.

There's no known cure for Parkinson's, though there are promising stem cell trials. While that research progresses, it's exciting to see an entirely different and effective way to treat symptoms and improve quality of life for Parkinson's patients.

So what's next: The team that performed this study has enrolled six more patients to test out the feasibility of the current proof of concept. If successful, this will lead to a bigger clinical trial, and eventually, maybe a readily available Parkinson's treatment.