Stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region might improve limb function after incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), a recent study suggests. Excitatory deep brain stimulation (DBS) restored hindlimb function to near-normal levels in rats with 20–30% sparing of reticulospinal fibres after chronic SCI. In many patients with SCI, a small number of such fibres persist after injury. The new findings indicate that DBS could provide a therapeutic strategy for treating gait disturbances in these individuals.