WELL, THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY: Paralyzed Rats Take 1,000 Steps, Orchestrated by Computer. “To produce their results, the Swiss scientists severed the spinal cords of a half-dozen rats and then implanted flexible electrodes into the lower part of their spinal cords. The animals were also given a type of drug known as a serotonin agonist, which Courtine says readies the spinal cord to communicate with the legs, an ability that’s depleted after an injury. With their weight supported by a harness, the rats were placed on a treadmill or on a runway with obstacles.”