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While r egaining the ability to walk may not be the first priority for those with a spinal cord injury (SCI) , recent advances in research indicate that reversing paralysis—at least when it comes to getting out of the wheelchair—may be closer than ever before. A study published this week in the journal Nature Neuroscience shows that scientists were able to restore motor function to rats with severed spinal cords thanks to a combination of pharmacological agents and electrodes implanted under the skin to stimulate the spinal cord. By putting the rats on a treadmill to create weight-bearing triggers in the brain, these elements are able to stimulate movement in the legs that is both controlled and strategic. “If the treadmill is stopped, they will not step. If you start the treadmill, they will start to step. If you turn them to the side on the treadmill, they will step sideways,” says Reggie Edgerton, a professor of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Of course, this isn’t the first time paralyzed rats have learned to walk again. In 2006, scientists were able to create similar effects through stem cell therapy, a finding that garnered national attention thanks to a positive report on 60 Minutes . But since that time, the research has not advanced to human trials. “People have been talking to me about the rats on 60 Minutes for years,” says Bob Smith, a quadriplegic from Hamilton Township, Michigan. “Everyone is getting tired of hearing that in three to five years, we’ll have human trials.” Especially, he notes, when SCI patients have been told the same thing for over a decade.