Two paralysed patients have been able to walk short distances and even climb stairs once more after being implanted with electrodes in their brains.两名瘫痪患者在脑部植入电极后，已能够短距离行走，甚至再次爬楼梯。 Both had catastrophic spinal injuries that meant they relied on a wheelchair before the operation.两人在手术前均遭受了严重的脊髓损伤，意味着他们术前依赖轮椅行动。 But in a world first, surgeons used a technique called deep brain stimulation to "re-awaken" dormant nerve fibres in the spinal cord and re-establish control of the leg muscles.但在此次全球首例中，外科医生采用了一种称为深度脑刺激的技术， 以“唤醒”脊髓中休眠的神经纤维，并重新控制腿部肌肉。 Wolfgang Jaeger, 54, broke his back in a skiing accident in 2006 and had to shuffle downstairs on his backside.54岁的沃尔夫冈·耶格在2006年的一次滑雪事故中摔断了脊椎，不得不臀部着地、慢慢挪动下楼。 But since being implanted with electrodes two years ago, he has worked intensively with physiotherapists to recover movement of his limbs.但自从两年前植入电极以来，他一直与理疗师紧密合作，以恢复四肢的运动能力。 He told Sky News: "If I want, I can walk a little bit, or go up and down the stairs, or if I need something in the kitchen where I have to stand up I can do it.他告诉天空新闻：“如果我想的话，我可以走一小段路，或者上下楼梯， 或者如果我在厨房里需要站起来拿东西，我也可以做到。 "Technology is getting better and better. In future I think we won't need a wheelchair again.“科技越来越发达。我认为将来我们不会再需要轮椅了。 "It's a long way, but I think the dream comes true."“路还很长，但我认为梦想会成真。” The breakthrough came after neuroscientists at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute in Lausanne (EPFL) used artificial intelligence to map all the neurons in the brain involved in helping rats and mice walk.洛桑联邦理工学院的神经科学家在利用人工智能绘制出参与大鼠和小鼠行走的所有大脑神经元图谱后，取得了这一突破性进展。 To their surprise, a region called the lateral hypothalamus - known to be involved in arousal and motivation - was flagged as having a role in walking.令他们惊讶的是， 一个名为外侧下丘脑的区域（已知与觉醒和动机有关）被标记为在行走中发挥作用。 It was so unexpected that the finding was initially questioned by other scientists who approved the manuscript for publication in the journal Nature Medicine.这一发现如此出乎意料，以至于最初受到了其他科学家的质疑，这些科学家曾批准将该研究手稿发表在《自然医学》杂志上。 After successful tests in rodents, the Swiss team then implanted electrodes in the lateral hypothalamus of the human patients.在对啮齿类动物进行成功测试后，瑞士团队随后在人类患者的外侧下丘脑植入了电极。 The technique, which is already widely used to control tremors in people with Parkinson's disease, is carried out while patients are wide awake. Only then can surgeons be sure they have reached the right spot in the brain, with the right strength of stimulation.这种技术已广泛用于控制帕金森病患者的震颤，手术在患者清醒状态下进行。只有这样，外科医生才能确保他们刺激到了大脑中的正确位置，且强度适中。 'I feel the urge to walk!'“我感到有强烈的行走欲望！” Professor Jocelyne Bloch, who carried out the operations at Lausanne University Hospital, said: "Once the electrode was in place and we performed the stimulation the first patient immediately said, 'I feel my legs'.在洛桑大学医院进行手术的乔斯琳·布洛赫教授说：“一旦电极到位，我们进行刺激，第一名患者立即说，‘我感觉到我的腿了’。 "When we increased the stimulation she said, 'I feel the urge to walk!'"“当我们增加刺激强度时，她说，‘我感到有强烈的行走欲望！’” Scientists believe the lateral hypothalamus marshals other parts of the brain to fire signals down nerve fibres that remain intact after the spinal injury.科学家认为，外侧下丘脑调动大脑的其他部分，向脊髓损伤后仍保持完好的神经纤维发送信号。 The brain is needed to recover from paralysis.大脑对瘫痪恢复至关重要。 Prof Gregoire Courtine, the lead neuroscientist on the research team and co-director at the NeuroRestore centre in Lausanne, said: "The research demonstrates that the brain is needed to recover from paralysis.该研究团队的首席神经科学家、洛桑神经修复中心的联合主任格雷戈瓦·库尔蒂内教授说：“研究表明，大脑对瘫痪恢复至关重要。 "We found how to tap into a small region of the brain that was not known to be involved in walking in order to engage residual nerve connections and augment neurological recovery."“我们发现如何利用大脑中一小片未知参与行走的区域，以激活残余的神经连接，促进神经恢复。” The two patients did not make a complete recovery from their injury, and were only able to walk slowly over short distances with a stick or "walker".这两名患者并未从伤势中完全恢复，只能借助拐杖或助行器缓慢行走短距离。 But the Lausanne team has already shown it is possible to restore movement by using implants in the spinal cord.但洛桑团队已经证明，通过脊髓植入物恢复运动是可能的。 They hope that stimulating both the spine and the brain in future will enhance recovery and help patients walk further and faster.他们希望，未来通过对脊柱和大脑同时进行刺激，能够促进恢复，帮助患者走得更远、更快。
