Physiology of Motor Deficits and the Potential of Motor Recovery After a Spinal Cord Injury

Edgerton, V. Reggie; Roy, Roland R.

doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-6664-6_2

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 114 publications

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“…In individuals with a spinal cord injury (SCI), many sub-functional neural connections between the brain and spinal cord can remain intact across the injury, despite a clinical diagnosis of "complete" loss of sensorimotor function [1][2][3][4]. These connections are not robust enough to drive clinically detectable function; however, they are capable of influencing the excitability of spinal sensorimotor networks below the lesion [5][6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of Spinal Sensorimotor Network Using Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation during Voluntary Movement Preparation and Performance

Steele

Atkinson

Varghese

et al. 2021

JCM

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Transcutaneous electrical spinal stimulation (TSS) can be used to selectively activate motor pools based on their anatomical arrangements in the lumbosacral enlargement. These spatial patterns of spinal motor activation may have important clinical implications, especially when there is a need to target specific muscle groups. However, our understanding of the net effects and interplay between the motor pools projecting to agonist and antagonist muscles during the preparation and performance of voluntary movements is still limited. The present study was designed to systematically investigate and differentiate the multi-segmental convergence of supraspinal inputs on the lumbosacral neural network before and during the execution of voluntary leg movements in neurologically intact participants. During the experiments, participants (N = 13) performed isometric (1) knee flexion and (2) extension, as well as (3) plantarflexion and (4) dorsiflexion. TSS consisting of a pair pulse with 50 ms interstimulus interval was delivered over the T12-L1 vertebrae during the muscle contractions, as well as within 50 to 250 ms following the auditory or tactile stimuli, to characterize the temporal profiles of net spinal motor output during movement preparation. Facilitation of evoked motor potentials in the ipsilateral agonists and contralateral antagonists emerged as early as 50 ms following the cue and increased prior to movement onset. These results suggest that the descending drive modulates the activity of the inter-neuronal circuitry within spinal sensorimotor networks in specific, functionally relevant spatiotemporal patterns, which has a direct implication for the characterization of the state of those networks in individuals with neurological conditions.

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