1
|
Faw TD, Lakhani B, Schmalbrock P, Knopp MV, Lohse KR, Kramer JLK, Liu H, Nguyen HT, Phillips EG, Bratasz A, Fisher LC, Deibert RJ, Boyd LA, McTigue DM, Basso DM. Eccentric rehabilitation induces white matter plasticity and sensorimotor recovery in chronic spinal cord injury. Exp Neurol 2021; 346:113853. [PMID: 34464653 PMCID: PMC10084731 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2021.113853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Experience-dependent white matter plasticity offers new potential for rehabilitation-induced recovery after neurotrauma. This first-in-human translational experiment combined myelin water imaging in humans and genetic fate-mapping of oligodendrocyte lineage cells in mice to investigate whether downhill locomotor rehabilitation that emphasizes eccentric muscle actions promotes white matter plasticity and recovery in chronic, incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). In humans, of 20 individuals with SCI that enrolled, four passed the imaging screen and had myelin water imaging before and after a 12-week (3 times/week) downhill locomotor treadmill training program (SCI + DH). One individual was excluded for imaging artifacts. Uninjured control participants (n = 7) had two myelin water imaging sessions within the same day. Changes in myelin water fraction (MWF), a histopathologically-validated myelin biomarker, were analyzed in a priori motor learning and non-motor learning brain regions and the cervical spinal cord using statistical approaches appropriate for small sample sizes. PDGFRα-CreERT2:mT/mG mice, that express green fluorescent protein on oligodendrocyte precursor cells and subsequent newly-differentiated oligodendrocytes upon tamoxifen-induced recombination, were either naive (n = 6) or received a moderate (75 kilodyne), contusive SCI at T9 and were randomized to downhill training (n = 6) or unexercised groups (n = 6). We initiated recombination 29 days post-injury, seven days prior to downhill training. Mice underwent two weeks of daily downhill training on the same 10% decline grade used in humans. Between-group comparison of functional (motor and sensory) and histological (oligodendrogenesis, oligodendroglial/axon interaction, paranodal structure) outcomes occurred post-training. In humans with SCI, downhill training increased MWF in brain motor learning regions (postcentral, precuneus) and mixed motor and sensory tracts of the ventral cervical spinal cord compared to control participants (P < 0.05). In mice with thoracic SCI, downhill training induced oligodendrogenesis in cervical dorsal and lateral white matter, increased axon-oligodendroglial interactions, and normalized paranodal structure in dorsal column sensory tracts (P < 0.05). Downhill training improved sensorimotor recovery in mice by normalizing hip and knee motor control and reducing hyperalgesia, both of which were associated with new oligodendrocytes in the cervical dorsal columns (P < 0.05). Our findings indicate that eccentric-focused, downhill rehabilitation promotes white matter plasticity and improved function in chronic SCI, likely via oligodendrogenesis in nervous system regions activated by the training paradigm. Together, these data reveal an exciting role for eccentric training in white matter plasticity and sensorimotor recovery after SCI.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D Faw
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Bimal Lakhani
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Petra Schmalbrock
- Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Michael V Knopp
- Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Keith R Lohse
- Department of Health, Kinesiology, and Recreation, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA
| | - John L K Kramer
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Hanwen Liu
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada; Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada
| | - Huyen T Nguyen
- Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Eileen G Phillips
- Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Anna Bratasz
- Small Animal Imaging Shared Resources, Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Lesley C Fisher
- Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Rochelle J Deibert
- Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Lara A Boyd
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Dana M McTigue
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - D Michele Basso
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Apte S, Plooij M, Vallery H. Simulation of human gait with body weight support: benchmarking models and unloading strategies. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2020; 17:81. [PMID: 32586398 PMCID: PMC7318415 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-020-00697-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gait training with partial body weight support (BWS) has become an established rehabilitation technique. Besides passive unloading mechanisms such as springs or counterweights, also active systems that allow rendering constant or modulated vertical forces have been proposed. However, only pilot studies have been conducted to compare different unloading or modulation strategies, and conducting experimental studies is costly and time-consuming. Simulation models that predict the influence of unloading force on human walking may help select the most promising candidates for further evaluation. However, the reliability of simulation results depends on the chosen gait model. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: First, using human experimental data, we evaluate the accuracy of some of the most prevalent walking models in replicating human walking under the influence of Constant-Force BWS: The Simplest Walking model (SW), the Spring-Loaded Inverted Pendulum model (SLIP) and the Muscle-Reflex (MR) gait model. Second, three realizations of BWS, based on Constant-Force (CF), Counterweight (CW) and Tuned-Spring (TS) approaches, are compared to each other in terms of their influence on gait parameters. METHODS We conducted simulations in Matlab/Simulink to model the behaviour of each gait model under all three BWS conditions. Nine simulations were undertaken in total and gait parameter response was analysed in each case. Root mean square error (mrmse) w.r.t human data was used to compare the accuracy of gait models. The metrics of interest were spatiotemporal parameters and the vertical ground reaction forces. To scrutinize the BWS strategies, loss of dynamic similarity was calculated in terms of root mean square difference in gait dynamics (Δgd) with respect to the reference gait under zero unloading. The gait dynamics were characterized by a dimensionless number Modela-w. RESULTS SLIP model showed the lowest mrmse for 6 out of 8 gait parameters and for 1 other, the mrmse value were comparable to the MR model; SW model had the highest mrmse. Out of three BWS strategies, Tuned-Spring strategies led to the lowest Δgd values. CONCLUSIONS The results of this work demonstrate the usefulness of gait models for BWS simulation and suggest the SLIP model to be more suitable for BWS simulations than the Simplest Walker and the Muscle-reflex models. Further, the Tuned-Spring approach appears to cause less distortions to the gait pattern than the more established Counterweight and Constant-Force approaches and merits experimental verification.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Salil Apte
- Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 2, Delft, 2628 CD Netherlands
- Laboratory of Movement Analysis and Measurement (LMAM), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 9, Lausanne, CH-1015 Switzerland
| | - Michiel Plooij
- Motek Medical BV, Hogehilweg 18C, Amsterdam, 1101 CD Netherlands
| | - Heike Vallery
- Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 2, Delft, 2628 CD Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Partnered, adapted argentine tango dance for cancer survivors: A feasibility study and pilot study of efficacy. Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon) 2019; 70:257-264. [PMID: 31751861 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2019.08.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Revised: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neurotoxic cancer treatments can cause chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy and postural control deficits that cancer survivors report as a concern. Exercise-based sensorimotor training has emerged as a promising treatment for symptoms including balance deficits, however, more study is needed to optimize engagement and participation. We evaluated feasibility, satisfaction, and preliminary efficacy of a novel balance training program for cancer survivors: partnered, Adapted Argentine Tango dance (Tango). METHODS Twenty-two individuals participated (n = 22). Tango classes (1 h) were offered twice/week. At baseline, midpoint (8 classes), and conclusion of the training (15 or 16 classes), we assessed postural control by measuring center-of-pressure (CoP) measures during quiet standing with eyes closed. We also documented attendance, barriers to attendance, and satisfaction (7 point scale; 1 high). At conclusion, we analyzed whether 1) attendance and satisfaction met feasibility criteria; 2) postural control improved among participants who were outside of normal range at baseline; and 3) co-enrolling with a companion increased attendance. FINDINGS Feasibility criteria were met: more than half of participants attended more than half the classes offered with a mean satisfaction rate of 1.2 (SD 0.4). Those who enrolled with a companion (n = 9) attended more sessions than those who did not (n = 13) (Mann-Whitney U value = 20; p = 0.012). Participants with demonstrated deficits (n = 9) improved in 3 CoP measures at midpoint (i.e., medial-lateral sway, ellipse area, medial-lateral velocity), retaining improvement in 2 CoP measures at endpoint (i.e., medial-lateral sway, ellipse area). INTERPRETATION Partnered, Adapted Argentine Tango is feasible for cancer survivors and may improve postural control. Enrolling with a companion improved attendance.
Collapse
|
4
|
Apte S, Plooij M, Vallery H. Influence of body weight unloading on human gait characteristics: a systematic review. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2018; 15:53. [PMID: 29925400 PMCID: PMC6011391 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-018-0380-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Body weight support (BWS) systems have shown promise as rehabilitation tools for neurologically impaired individuals. This paper reviews the experiment-based research on BWS systems with the aim: (1) To investigate the influence of body weight unloading (BWU) on gait characteristics; (2) To study whether the effects of BWS differ between treadmill and overground walking and (3) To investigate if modulated BWU influences gait characteristics less than unmodulated BWU. Method A systematic literature search was conducted in the following search engines: Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. Statistical analysis was used to quantify the effects of BWU on gait parameters. Results 54 studies of experiments with healthy and neurologically impaired individuals walking in a BWS system were included and 32 of these were used for the statistical analysis. Literature was classified using three distinctions: (1) treadmill or overground walking; (2) the type of subjects and (3) the nature of unloading force. Only 27% studies were based on neurologically impaired subjects; a low number considering that they are the primary user group for BWS systems. The studies included BWU from 5% to 100% and the 30% and 50% BWU conditions were the most widely studied. The number of participants varied from 1 to 28, with an average of 12. It was seen that due to the increase in BWU level, joint moments, muscle activity, energy cost of walking and ground reaction forces (GRF) showed higher reduction compared to gait spatio-temporal and joint kinematic parameters. The influence of BWU on kinematic and spatio-temporal gait parameters appeared to be limited up to 30% unloading. 5 gait characteristics presented different behavior in response to BWU for overground and treadmill walking. Remaining 21 gait characteristics showed similar behavior but different magnitude of change for overground and treadmill walking. Modulated unloading force generally led to less difference from the 0% condition than unmodulated unloading. Conclusion This review has shown that BWU influences all gait characteristics, albeit with important differences between the kinematic, spatio-temporal and kinetic characteristics. BWU showed stronger influence on the kinetic characteristics of gait than on the spatio-temporal parameters and the kinematic characteristics. It was ascertained that treadmill and overground walking can alter the effects of BWU in a different manner. Our results indicate that task-specific gait training is likely to be achievable at a BWU level of 30% and below. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12984-018-0380-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Salil Apte
- Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE), TU Delft, Mekelweg 2, Delft, 2628 CD, Netherlands
| | - Michiel Plooij
- Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE), TU Delft, Mekelweg 2, Delft, 2628 CD, Netherlands.,Motekforce Link, Hogehilweg 18-C, Amsterdam, 1101 CD, Netherlands
| | - Heike Vallery
- Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE), TU Delft, Mekelweg 2, Delft, 2628 CD, Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Dragunas AC, Gordon KE. Body weight support impacts lateral stability during treadmill walking. J Biomech 2016; 49:2662-2668. [PMID: 27282960 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2016.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2015] [Revised: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Body weight support (BWS) systems are a common tool used in gait rehabilitation. BWS systems may alter the requirements for an individual to actively stabilize by 1) providing lateral restoring forces that reduce the requirements for the nervous system to actively stabilize and 2) decreasing the stabilizing gravitational moment in the frontal plane, which could increase the requirements to actively stabilize. The goal of the current study was to quantify the interaction between BWS and lateral stability. We hypothesized that when able-bodied people walk with BWS: 1) the lateral restoring forces provided by BWS would reduce the requirements to stabilize in the frontal plane when comparing dynamically similar gaits, and 2) increasing BWS would decrease the stabilizing gravitational moment in the frontal plane and increase the requirements to stabilize when speed is constrained. Our findings partly support these hypotheses, but indicate a complex interaction between BWS and lateral stability. With BWS, subjects significantly decreased step width variability and significantly increased step width (p<0.05) for both the dynamically similar and Speed-Matched conditions. The decrease in step width variability may be attributable to a combination of lateral restoring forces decreasing the mechanical requirements to stabilize and an enhanced sense of position that could have improved locomotor control. Increases in step width when walking with high levels of BWS could have been due to decreases in the gravitational moment about the stance limb, which may challenge the control of stability in multiple planes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Dragunas
- Department of Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.
| | - Keith E Gordon
- Department of Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA; Research Service, Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital, Hines, IL, USA
| |
Collapse
|