Meet a pioneer in stroke recovery

Retired New Jersey teacher Holly Ulland and her son Aaron have always been extraordinarily close. She described her son as “very compassionate, loves animals, has always been a tinkerer”.

Aaron, young and capable, seemed perfectly healthy until one January morning in 2019.

“I woke up to use the bathroom and couldn’t get out of bed,” he told correspondent Susan Spencer. “I had to grab something to get out of bed. And then I got my two feet on the ground and I only walked a few yards and I fell down.”

Holly recalled, “I went down the hall, past his bedroom, found him on the floor, but he said he couldn’t get up.”

“This must have been terrifying,” Spencer said.

“Yes,” Aaron replied.

At just 39 years old, Aaron had suffered a stroke, paralyzing his left side. “He tried to talk to me,” said Holly. But his words were all gargled. And I was terrified that he would never speak again. ‘

After four days in the ICU, he had regained his speech, but not much else. He then spent two months in rehab. “We had a neurologist who told us Aaron would never move his arm again. And when we got to the parking lot, I literally put his face in my hands and said, ‘Don’t even buy in there. ” ‘

According to Dr. Diana Tzeng, a professor of neurology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, “stroke occurs when there is a problem with blood flow to the brain. The most common type is caused by some blockage of an artery.”

Spencer asked, “Generally speaking, people assume that strokes only occur in older people. Is that the case? ‘

“Anyone can have a stroke, even young people,” said Tzeng. “And there is a worrying trend of more young adults suffering from strokes.”

Amazingly, an American has a stroke every 40 seconds, and 10 to 15 percent of stroke victims are only 18 to 49 years old. Why this is happening. “About 50% of the time, when a young person has a stroke, we can’t figure out the cause,” Tzeng said.

The cause of Aaron Ulland’s stroke is still a mystery, but the consequences are devastatingly clear.

Tzeng said, “There is no regeneration of brain cells. Once you’ve had a stroke, the affected brain cells are dead. For some patients, we offer intensive physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, but in terms of direct interventions that we can provide patients, still still none to help them regain what they have lost. “

But Aaron is determined to regain what was lost, which is why he mastered a tricycle when he couldn’t ride a regular bicycle … and why he said yes to being Patient One in a revolutionary study at Thomas Jefferson University.

His mother wasn’t too sure. When asked how she responded when told ‘We’re going to put electrodes in your son’s brain,’ she replied, ‘To be honest, I was terrified. But I also knew it was Aaron’s decision. ”

And he did not hesitate? “No,” said Holly. “He kept saying, ‘I want my arm back.'”

So, last October, with cameras spinning, doctors implanted multiple electrodes in Aaron’s brain. It took nine hours.

Jefferson Health Neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Rosenwasser, one of the study’s two chief doctors, said, “We rehearsed this hundreds of times before surgery to know how we were going to do it, to know exactly where we were going to put it.”

Dr. Mijail Serruya, a professor of neurology at the University of Thomas Jefferson, the other chief physician, described the electrodes that were implanted: “ The electrodes from this study are incredibly small, about the size of a baby aspirin or a regular M&M, so smaller than a peanut M&M. And they just go to the surface of the cortex, the outside of the brain. ‘

The role of the electrodes, said Rosenwasser, “ is to take the electrical signals from his existing brain cells, pick up those electrical signals and convert them into the movement he wants to do: move his fingers, move his hand, arm. “

In other words, Aaron’s stroke damaged the connection between his brain and his arm. These electrodes fix it and send signals from his brain to a motorized brace. And viola! Aaron can move his arm again!

“He has shown us that after nearly two years now, someone can restore their function after having had a pretty massive stroke,” said Serruya.

And it is just the beginning.

Spencer asked, “There are so many things we do that we just take for granted, like grab a cup, or he said he has trouble zipping something up because he can’t use that hand. How far do you think this technology can go in terms of people actually regaining fine motor skills?

“Well, I’m not sure I’ll be on this earth to see it, but I think we’ll have people who play the piano and are concert violinists,” said Rosenwasser.

Aaron’s electrodes were placed for a trial period of only three months. But doctors are seeing the day when this technology – like a pacemaker – will be wireless and implantable, eliminating the need for the armrest at all.

Serruya said, “I think that is the goal, that in the next five, 10, 15, 20 years, we will have a medical device that will be available to people who have had a stroke, so they can go to their doctor, their neurosurgery team. , get this device, and no matter how far they’ve come with their physical and occupational therapy, they can break through that plateau and go ahead and restore movement. ”

Spencer asked Aaron, “Do your doctors think this might be a game changer?”

‘Yes. It will help other stroke victims, and they can look at my stuff, ”he replied. ‘Yes. They call me the pioneer. ‘

‘Yes. Do you like that?’

“Yes!” He smiled.

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Story produced by Amiel Weisfogel. Editor: Carol Ross.