Operant Conditioning of H-Reflex Can Correct a Locomotor Abnormality after Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

Chen, Yi; Chen, Xiang Yang; Jakeman, Lyn B.; Chen, Lu; Stokes, Bradford T.; Wolpaw, Jonathan R.

doi:10.1523/jneurosci.2198-06.2006

Cited by 109 publications

(140 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Furthermore, muscular and kinematic analyses provide insight into the responsible mechanisms. The results illuminate the important role of the spinal cord in motor learning, and they support recent studies indicating that motor learning protocols that change the spinal cord can improve locomotion after spinal cord injury in both animals and humans (Chen et al 2006a; Thompson et al 2013). …”

supporting

confidence: 85%

“…[H-reflex conditioning is comparable in male and female rats (Chen and Wolpaw 1995, 1996, 1997, 2006a, 2006b, 2006c.] All procedures satisfied the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" (National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2011) and had been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Wadsworth Center.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All procedures satisfied the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" (National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2011) and had been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Wadsworth Center. The procedures for spinal cord injury, electrode implantation, treadmill locomotion, H-reflex conditioning, histological evaluation, and data analysis have been described in detail previously (Chen and Wolpaw 1995, 1997Chen et al , 2006a and are summarized here. Figure 1A shows the study protocol.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Locomotor impact of beneficial or nonbeneficial H-reflex conditioning after spinal cord injury

Chen

Liu

et al. 2014

Journal of Neurophysiology

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When new motor learning changes neurons and synapses in the spinal cord, it may affect previously learned behaviors that depend on the same spinal neurons and synapses. To explore these effects, we used operant conditioning to strengthen or weaken the right soleus H-reflex pathway in rats in which a right spinal cord contusion had impaired locomotion. When up-conditioning increased the H-reflex, locomotion improved. Steps became longer, and step-cycle asymmetry (i.e., limping) disappeared. In contrast, when down-conditioning decreased the H-reflex, locomotion did not worsen. Steps did not become shorter, and asymmetry did not increase. Electromyographic and kinematic analyses explained how H-reflex increase improved locomotion and why H-reflex decrease did not further impair it. Although the impact of up-conditioning or down-conditioning on the H-reflex pathway was still present during locomotion, only up-conditioning affected the soleus locomotor burst. Additionally, compensatory plasticity apparently prevented the weaker H-reflex pathway caused by down-conditioning from weakening the locomotor burst and further impairing locomotion. The results support the hypothesis that the state of the spinal cord is a "negotiated equilibrium" that serves all the behaviors that depend on it. When new learning changes the spinal cord, old behaviors undergo concurrent relearning that preserves or improves their key features. Thus, if an old behavior has been impaired by trauma or disease, spinal reflex conditioning, by changing a specific pathway and triggering a new negotiation, may enable recovery beyond that achieved simply by practicing the old behavior. Spinal reflex conditioning protocols might complement other neurorehabilitation methods and enhance recovery.H-reflex; operant conditioning; spinal cord plasticity; motor control; spinal cord injury MOTOR LEARNING IS USUALLY ascribed to plasticity in the cortex or elsewhere in the brain, but not in the spinal cord, which has traditionally been assumed to be simply a hard-wired structure for producing learned behaviors that depend on plasticity in the brain (Dayan and Cohen 2011;Doyon et al. 2009;Penhune and Steele 2012;Wolpaw 2010). However, studies in animals and humans indicate that motor learning often changes the spinal cord (reviewed in Wolpaw 2010; Wolpaw and Tennissen 2001). For example, spinal stretch reflexes are markedly reduced in professional ballet dancers (Nielsen et al. 1993). Spinal reflexes also change during the acquisition of much simpler behaviors (e.g., Meyer-Lohmann et al. 1986;Schneider and Capaday 2003).Because the spinal cord is the final common pathway for all motor behaviors, spinal cord plasticity that contributes to new learning can affect previously learned behaviors. Normally these effects are not harmful. Even though the reflex pathways that are weakened in ballet dancers are important for walking (Bennett et al. 1996;Grey et al. 2007;Nielsen and Sinkjaer 2002;Pearson 2004;Sinkjaer et al. 2000;Stein et al. 2000;Yang et al. 1991), the dancer...

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supporting

confidence: 85%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Locomotor impact of beneficial or nonbeneficial H-reflex conditioning after spinal cord injury

Chen

Liu

et al. 2014

Journal of Neurophysiology

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“…It has been shown that with operant conditioning, rats with partial SCI can learn to use descending drive to regulate soleus H-reflex gains in a manner that can influence and possibly improve locomotor performance (Chen et al 2005(Chen et al , 2006. Similar operant conditioning protocols have been used in human SCI subjects to downregulate hyperactive spinal stretch reflexes in the upper limb (Segal and Wolf 1994) and suggest that such training may be valuable for improving motor performance.…”

Section: Volitional Influence On Feedback Modulation Of Gaitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ankle Load Modulates Hip Kinetics and EMG During Human Locomotion

Gordon¹,

Wu²,

Kahn³

et al. 2009

Journal of Neurophysiology

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“…Using H-reflex training in incomplete SCI in a rat model, Wolpaw 3 and Chen and colleagues 60 have now demonstrated that device-based training can promote gait compensation. The use of devices in combination with residual plasticity and function to steer plastic changes in appropriate directions is a very exciting prospect.…”

Section: Stimulation To Activate Residual Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spinal Cord Injury: Present and Future Therapeutic Devices and Prostheses

Giszter

2008

Neurotherapeutics

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Summary:A range of passive and active devices are under development or are already in clinical use to partially restore function after spinal cord injury (SCI). Prosthetic devices to promote host tissue regeneration and plasticity and reconnection are under development, comprising bioengineered bridging materials free of cells. Alternatively, artificial electrical stimulation and robotic bridges may be used, which is our focus here. A range of neuroprostheses interfacing either with CNS or peripheral nervous system both above and below the lesion are under investigation and are at different stages of development or translation to the clinic. In addition, there are orthotic and robotic devices which are being developed and tested in the laboratory and clinic that can provide mechanical assistance, training or substitution after SCI. The range of different approaches used draw on many different aspects of our current but limited understanding of neural regeneration and plasticity, and spinal cord function and interactions with the cortex. The best therapeutic practice will ultimately likely depend on combinations of these approaches and technologies and on balancing the combined effects of these on the biological mechanisms and their interactions after injury. An increased understanding of plasticity of brain and spinal cord, and of the behavior of innate modular mechanisms in intact and injured systems, will likely assist in future developments. We review the range of device designs under development and in use, the basic understanding of spinal cord organization and plasticity, the problems and design issues in device interactions with the nervous system, and the possible benefits of active motor devices.

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Operant Conditioning of H-Reflex Can Correct a Locomotor Abnormality after Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

Cited by 109 publications

References 52 publications

Locomotor impact of beneficial or nonbeneficial H-reflex conditioning after spinal cord injury

Locomotor impact of beneficial or nonbeneficial H-reflex conditioning after spinal cord injury

Ankle Load Modulates Hip Kinetics and EMG During Human Locomotion

Spinal Cord Injury: Present and Future Therapeutic Devices and Prostheses

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