A paralyzed Superman rose from a wheelchair and walked, during a 2000 Super Bowl commercial. The advertisement drew criticism, because, to some, it promised false hope.
The ad’s star, Christopher Reeve — famous for playing the caped superhero in a series of movies — was rendered quadriplegic in a 1995 horse-riding accident. The actor turned activist pushed for more research funding in general, and an end to a ban on embryonic stem cell research in particular.
Reeve, who died in 2004, would likely be pleased with research’s path to paralysis treatment. Activity has intensified over the past decade or so, with some recent notable milestones. Multiple approaches now hold promise — including implants, stem cells, and molecular therapies.
Restoring Neurological Wiring
The concept of using devices connected to the brain to restore function through an electric signal goes back to 1780, when Italian scientist Luigi Galvani linked a frog’s brain to a leg muscle with an electrical wire. In 1996, electrodes implanted into a man’s brain allowed him to control a computer cursor with his thoughts. In 2005, a similar approach enabled a paralyzed patient to control a robot arm.
