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Singh AK, Rai A, Joshi I, Reddy DN, Guha R, Alka K, Shukla S, Rath SK, Nazir A, Clement JP, Kundu TK. Oral Administration of a Specific p300/CBP Lysine Acetyltransferase Activator Induces Synaptic Plasticity and Repairs Spinal Cord Injury. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:2741-2755. [PMID: 38795032 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2024] Open
Abstract
TTK21 is a small-molecule activator of p300/creb binding protein (CBP) acetyltransferase activity, which, upon conjugation with a glucose-derived carbon nanosphere (CSP), can efficiently cross the blood-brain barrier and activate histone acetylation in the brain. Its role in adult neurogenesis and retention of long-term spatial memory following intraperitoneal (IP) administration is well established. In this study, we successfully demonstrate that CSP-TTK21 can be effectively administered via oral gavage. Using a combination of molecular biology, microscopy, and electrophysiological techniques, we systematically investigate the comparative efficacy of oral administration of CSP and CSP-TTK21 in wild-type mice and evaluate their functional effects in comparison to intraperitoneal (IP) administration. Our findings indicate that CSP-TTK21, when administered orally, induces long-term potentiation in the hippocampus without significantly altering basal synaptic transmission, a response comparable to that achieved through IP injection. Remarkably, in a spinal cord injury model, oral administration of CSP-TTK21 exhibits efficacy equivalent to that of IP administration. Furthermore, our research demonstrates that oral delivery of CSP-TTK21 leads to improvements in motor function, histone acetylation dynamics, and increased expression of regeneration-associated genes (RAGs) in a spinal injury rat model, mirroring the effectiveness of IP administration. Importantly, no toxic and mutagenic effects of CSP-TTK21 are observed at a maximum tolerated dose of 1 g/kg in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats via the oral route. Collectively, these results underscore the potential utility of CSP as an oral drug delivery system, particularly for targeting the neural system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akash Kumar Singh
- Transcription and Disease Laboratory, Molecular Biology, and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur, Bengaluru 560 064, India
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Amrish Rai
- Division of Neuroscience and Ageing Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226031, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Ila Joshi
- Transcription and Disease Laboratory, Molecular Biology, and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur, Bengaluru 560 064, India
| | - Damodara N Reddy
- Medicinal and Process Chemistry Division, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226031, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Rajdeep Guha
- Division of Laboratory Animal Facility, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226031, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Kumari Alka
- Division of Neuroscience and Ageing Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226031, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Shubha Shukla
- Division of Neuroscience and Ageing Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226031, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Srikanta Kumar Rath
- Division of Toxicology and Experimental Medicine, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226031, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - Aamir Nazir
- Division of Neuroscience and Ageing Biology, CSIR-Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow 226031, India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad 201002, India
| | - James P Clement
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Tapas K Kundu
- Transcription and Disease Laboratory, Molecular Biology, and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Jakkur, Bengaluru 560 064, India
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore 560064, India
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Lee K, Barradas V, Schweighofer N. Self-organizing recruitment of compensatory areas maximizes residual motor performance post-stroke. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.28.601213. [PMID: 39005333 PMCID: PMC11244868 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.28.601213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Whereas the orderly recruitment of compensatory motor cortical areas after stroke depends on the size of the motor cortex lesion affecting arm and hand movements, the mechanisms underlying this reorganization are unknown. Here, we hypothesized that the recruitment of compensatory areas results from the motor system's goal to optimize performance given the anatomical constraints before and after the lesion. This optimization is achieved through two complementary plastic processes: a homeostatic regulation process, which maximizes information transfer in sensory-motor networks, and a reinforcement learning process, which minimizes movement error and effort. To test this hypothesis, we developed a neuro-musculoskeletal model that controls a 7-muscle planar arm via a cortical network that includes a primary motor cortex and a premotor cortex that directly project to spinal motor neurons, and a contra-lesional primary motor cortex that projects to spinal motor neurons via the reticular formation. Synapses in the cortical areas are updated via reinforcement learning and the activity of spinal motor neurons is adjusted through homeostatic regulation. The model replicated neural, muscular, and behavioral outcomes in both non-lesioned and lesioned brains. With increasing lesion sizes, the model demonstrated systematic recruitment of the remaining primary motor cortex, premotor cortex, and contra-lesional cortex. The premotor cortex acted as a reserve area for fine motor control recovery, while the contra-lesional cortex helped avoid paralysis at the cost of poor joint control. Plasticity in spinal motor neurons enabled force generation after large cortical lesions despite weak corticospinal inputs. Compensatory activity in the premotor and contra-lesional motor cortex was more prominent in the early recovery period, gradually decreasing as the network minimized effort. Thus, the orderly recruitment of compensatory areas following strokes of varying sizes results from biologically plausible local plastic processes that maximize performance, whether the brain is intact or lesioned.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Lee
- Computer Science, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Victor Barradas
- Institute of Innovative Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Nicolas Schweighofer
- Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
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Garcia-Ramirez DL, McGrath JR, Ha NT, Wheel JH, Atoche SJ, Yao L, Stachowski NJ, Giszter SF, Dougherty KJ. Covert actions of epidural stimulation on spinal locomotor circuits. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.06.18.599598. [PMID: 38948733 PMCID: PMC11213016 DOI: 10.1101/2024.06.18.599598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
Spinal circuitry produces the rhythm and patterning of locomotion. However, both descending and sensory inputs are required to initiate and adapt locomotion to the environment. Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts descending controls of the spinal cord, producing paralysis. Epidural stimulation (ES) is a promising clinical therapy for motor control recovery and is capable of reactivating the lumbar spinal locomotor networks, yet little is known about the effects of ES on locomotor neurons. Previously, we found that both sensory afferent pathways and serotonin exert mixed excitatory and inhibitory actions on lumbar interneurons involved in the generation of the locomotor rhythm, identified by the transcription factor Shox2. However, after chronic complete SCI, sensory afferent inputs to Shox2 interneurons become almost exclusively excitatory and Shox2 interneurons are supersensitive to serotonin. Here, we investigated the effects of ES on these SCI-induced changes. Inhibitory input from sensory pathways to Shox2 interneurons was maintained and serotonin supersensitivity was not observed in SCI mice that received daily sub-motor threshold ES. Interestingly, the effects of ES were maintained for at least three weeks after the ES was discontinued. In contrast, the effects of ES were not observed in Shox2 interneurons from mice that received ES after the establishment of the SCI-induced changes. Our results demonstrate mechanistic actions of ES at the level of identified spinal locomotor circuit neurons and the effectiveness of early treatment with ES on preservation of spinal locomotor circuitry after SCI, suggesting possible therapeutic benefits prior to the onset of motor rehabilitation.
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Hingorani S, Paniagua Soriano G, Sánchez Huertas C, Villalba Riquelme EM, López Mocholi E, Martínez Rojas B, Alastrué Agudo A, Dupraz S, Ferrer Montiel AV, Moreno Manzano V. Transplantation of dorsal root ganglia overexpressing the NaChBac sodium channel improves locomotion after complete SCI. Mol Ther 2024; 32:1739-1759. [PMID: 38556794 PMCID: PMC11184342 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymthe.2024.03.038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition currently lacking treatment. Severe SCI causes the loss of most supraspinal inputs and neuronal activity caudal to the injury, which, coupled with the limited endogenous capacity for spontaneous regeneration, can lead to complete functional loss even in anatomically incomplete lesions. We hypothesized that transplantation of mature dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) genetically modified to express the NaChBac sodium channel could serve as a therapeutic option for functionally complete SCI. We found that NaChBac expression increased the intrinsic excitability of DRG neurons and promoted cell survival and neurotrophic factor secretion in vitro. Transplantation of NaChBac-expressing dissociated DRGs improved voluntary locomotion 7 weeks after injury compared to control groups. Animals transplanted with NaChBac-expressing DRGs also possessed higher tubulin-positive neuronal fiber and myelin preservation, although serotonergic descending fibers remained unaffected. We observed early preservation of the corticospinal tract 14 days after injury and transplantation, which was lost 7 weeks after injury. Nevertheless, transplantation of NaChBac-expressing DRGs increased the neuronal excitatory input by an increased number of VGLUT2 contacts immediately caudal to the injury. Our work suggests that the transplantation of NaChBac-expressing dissociated DRGs can rescue significant motor function, retaining an excitatory neuronal relay activity immediately caudal to injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Hingorani
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain
| | - Guillem Paniagua Soriano
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain
| | - Carlos Sánchez Huertas
- Development and Assembly of Bilateral Neural Circuits Laboratory, Instituto de Neurociencias, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)-Universidad Miguel Hernández, Avenida Santiago Ramon y Cajal, s/n, 03550 Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Eva María Villalba Riquelme
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche-IDiBE, Avenida de la Universidad, s/n, Edificio Torregaitán, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain
| | - Eric López Mocholi
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain
| | - Beatriz Martínez Rojas
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain
| | - Ana Alastrué Agudo
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain
| | - Sebastián Dupraz
- Laboratory for Axonal Growth and Regeneration, German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Antonio Vicente Ferrer Montiel
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche-IDiBE, Avenida de la Universidad, s/n, Edificio Torregaitán, 03202 Elche, Alicante, Spain
| | - Victoria Moreno Manzano
- Neuronal and Tissue Regeneration Laboratory, Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, 46012 Valencia, Spain.
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Mari S, Lecomte CG, Merlet AN, Audet J, Yassine S, Al Arab R, Harnie J, Rybak IA, Prilutsky BI, Frigon A. Changes in intra- and interlimb reflexes from forelimb cutaneous afferents after staggered thoracic lateral hemisections during locomotion in cats. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.23.590723. [PMID: 38712151 PMCID: PMC11071401 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.23.590723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
In quadrupeds, such as cats, cutaneous afferents from the forepaw dorsum signal external perturbations and send signals to spinal circuits to coordinate the activity in muscles of all four limbs. How these cutaneous reflex pathways from forelimb afferents are reorganized after an incomplete spinal cord injury is not clear. Using a staggered thoracic lateral hemisections paradigm, we investigated changes in intralimb and interlimb reflex pathways by electrically stimulating the left and right superficial radial nerves in seven adult cats and recording reflex responses in five forelimb and ten hindlimb muscles. After the first (right T5-T6) and second (left T10-T11) hemisections, forelimb-hindlimb coordination was altered and weakened. After the second hemisection, cats required balance assistance to perform quadrupedal locomotion. Short-, mid- and long-latency homonymous and crossed reflex responses in forelimb muscles and their phase modulation remained largely unaffected after staggered hemisections. The occurrence of homolateral and diagonal mid- and long-latency responses in hindlimb muscles evoked with left and right superficial radial nerve stimulation was significantly reduced at the first time point after the first hemisection, but partially recovered at the second time point with left superficial radial nerve stimulation. These responses were lost or reduced after the second hemisection. When present, all reflex responses, including homolateral and diagonal, maintained their phase-dependent modulation. Therefore, our results show a considerable loss in cutaneous reflex transmission from cervical to lumbar levels after incomplete spinal cord injury, albeit with preservation of phase modulation, likely affecting functional responses to external perturbations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Mari
- Department of Pharmacology-Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Charly G. Lecomte
- Department of Pharmacology-Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Angèle N. Merlet
- Department of Pharmacology-Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Johannie Audet
- Department of Pharmacology-Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Sirine Yassine
- Department of Pharmacology-Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Rasha Al Arab
- Department of Pharmacology-Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Jonathan Harnie
- Department of Pharmacology-Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Ilya A. Rybak
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Boris I. Prilutsky
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Alain Frigon
- Department of Pharmacology-Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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Brown BL, Anil N, States G, Whittemore SR, Magnuson DSK. Long ascending propriospinal neurons are heterogenous and subject to spinal cord injury induced anatomic plasticity. Exp Neurol 2024; 373:114631. [PMID: 38070723 PMCID: PMC10922963 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2023.114631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Long ascending propriospinal neurons (LAPNs) are a subset of spinal interneurons that provide direct connectivity between distant spinal segments. Here, we focus specifically on an anatomically defined population of "inter-enlargement" LAPNs with cell bodies at L2/3 and terminals at C5/6. Previous studies showed that silencing LAPNs in awake and freely moving animals disrupted interlimb coordination of the hindlimbs, forelimbs, and heterolateral limb pairs. Surprisingly, despite a proportion of LAPNs being anatomically intact post- spinal cord injury (SCI), silencing them improved locomotor function but only influenced coordination of the hindlimb pair. Given the functional significance of LAPNs pre- and post-SCI, we characterized their anatomy and SCI-induced anatomical plasticity. This detailed anatomical characterization revealed three morphologically distinct subsets of LAPNs that differ in soma size, neurite complexity and/or neurite orientation. Following a mild thoracic contusive SCI there was a marked shift in neurite orientation in two of the LAPN subsets to a more dorsoventral orientation, and collateral densities decreased in the cervical enlargement but increased just caudal to the injury epicenter. These post-SCI anatomical changes potentially reflect maladaptive plasticity and an effort to establish new functional inputs from sensory afferents that sprout post-SCI to achieve circuitry homeostasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon L Brown
- Interdisciplinary Program in Translational Neuroscience, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States; Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States; Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Neha Anil
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States; Department of Bioengineering, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Gregory States
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States; Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Scott R Whittemore
- Interdisciplinary Program in Translational Neuroscience, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States; Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States; Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States; Department of Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - David S K Magnuson
- Interdisciplinary Program in Translational Neuroscience, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States; Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States; Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States; Department of Bioengineering, J.B. Speed School of Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States; Department of Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.
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Calderone A, Cardile D, De Luca R, Quartarone A, Corallo F, Calabrò RS. Brain Plasticity in Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries: A Systematic Review. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:2224. [PMID: 38396902 PMCID: PMC10888628 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25042224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
A spinal cord injury (SCI) causes changes in brain structure and brain function due to the direct effects of nerve damage, secondary mechanisms, and long-term effects of the injury, such as paralysis and neuropathic pain (NP). Recovery takes place over weeks to months, which is a time frame well beyond the duration of spinal shock and is the phase in which the spinal cord remains unstimulated below the level of injury and is associated with adaptations occurring throughout the nervous system, often referred to as neuronal plasticity. Such changes occur at different anatomical sites and also at different physiological and molecular biological levels. This review aims to investigate brain plasticity in patients with SCIs and its influence on the rehabilitation process. Studies were identified from an online search of the PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Studies published between 2013 and 2023 were selected. This review has been registered on OSF under (n) 9QP45. We found that neuroplasticity can affect the sensory-motor network, and different protocols or rehabilitation interventions can activate this process in different ways. Exercise rehabilitation training in humans with SCIs can elicit white matter plasticity in the form of increased myelin water content. This review has demonstrated that SCI patients may experience plastic changes either spontaneously or as a result of specific neurorehabilitation training, which may lead to positive outcomes in functional recovery. Clinical and experimental evidence convincingly displays that plasticity occurs in the adult CNS through a variety of events following traumatic or non-traumatic SCI. Furthermore, efficacy-based, pharmacological, and genetic approaches, alone or in combination, are increasingly effective in promoting plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Calderone
- Graduate School of Health Psychology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, Italy;
| | - Davide Cardile
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Rosaria De Luca
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Angelo Quartarone
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Francesco Corallo
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy
| | - Rocco Salvatore Calabrò
- IRCCS Centro Neurolesi Bonino-Pulejo, S.S. 113 Via Palermo, C.da Casazza, 98124 Messina, Italy
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Segmental motor recovery after cervical spinal cord injury relates to density and integrity of corticospinal tract projections. Nat Commun 2023; 14:723. [PMID: 36759606 PMCID: PMC9911610 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36390-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) causes extensive impairments for individuals which may include dextrous hand function. Although prior work has focused on the recovery at the person-level, the factors determining the recovery of individual muscles are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the muscle-specific recovery after cervical spinal cord injury in a retrospective analysis of 748 individuals from the European Multicenter Study about Spinal Cord Injury (NCT01571531). We show associations between corticospinal tract (CST) sparing and upper extremity recovery in SCI, which improves the prediction of hand muscle strength recovery. Our findings suggest that assessment strategies for muscle-specific motor recovery in acute spinal cord injury are improved by accounting for CST sparing, and complement person-level predictions.
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Sun SY, Giszter SF, Harkema SJ, Angeli CA. Modular organization of locomotor networks in people with severe spinal cord injury. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:1041015. [PMID: 36570830 PMCID: PMC9768556 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1041015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Previous studies support modular organization of locomotor circuitry contributing to the activation of muscles in a spatially and temporally organized manner during locomotion. Human spinal circuitry may reorganize after spinal cord injury; however, it is unclear if reorganization of spinal circuitry post-injury affects the modular organization. Here we characterize the modular synergy organization of locomotor muscle activity expressed during assisted stepping in subjects with complete and incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) of varying chronicity, before any explicit training regimen. We also investigated whether the synergy characteristics changed in two subjects who achieved independent walking after training with spinal cord epidural stimulation. Methods To capture synergy structures during stepping, individuals with SCI were stepped on a body-weight supported treadmill with manual facilitation, while electromyography (EMGs) were recorded from bilateral leg muscles. EMGs were analyzed using non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) and independent component analysis (ICA) to identify synergy patterns. Synergy patterns from the SCI subjects were compared across different clinical characteristics and to non-disabled subjects (NDs). Results Results for both NMF and ICA indicated that the subjects with SCI were similar among themselves, but expressed a greater variability in the number of synergies for criterion variance capture compared to NDs, and weaker correlation to NDs. ICA yielded a greater number of muscle synergies than NMF. Further, the clinical characteristics of SCI subjects and chronicity did not predict any significant differences in the spatial synergy structures despite any neuroplastic changes. Further, post-training synergies did not become closer to ND synergies in two individuals. Discussion These findings suggest fundamental differences between motor modules expressed in SCIs and NDs, as well as a striking level of spatial and temporal synergy stability in motor modules in the SCI population, absent the application of specific interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soo Yeon Sun
- Department of Physical Therapy, Alvernia University, Reading, PA, United States
| | - Simon F. Giszter
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States,School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Susan J. Harkema
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States,Frazier Rehab Institute, University of Louisville Health, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Claudia A. Angeli
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States,Frazier Rehab Institute, University of Louisville Health, Louisville, KY, United States,Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States,*Correspondence: Claudia A. Angeli,
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Calderazzo S, Covert M, Alba DD, Bowley BE, Pessina MA, Rosene DL, Buller B, Medalla M, Moore TL. Neural recovery after cortical injury: Effects of MSC derived extracellular vesicles on motor circuit remodeling in rhesus monkeys. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2022; 13:243-254. [PMID: 36590089 PMCID: PMC9795302 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2022.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Reorganization of motor circuits in the cortex and corticospinal tract are thought to underlie functional recovery after cortical injury, but the mechanisms of neural plasticity that could be therapeutic targets remain unclear. Recent work from our group have shown that systemic treatment with mesenchymal stem cell derived (MSCd) extracellular vesicles (EVs) administered after cortical damage to the primary motor cortex (M1) of rhesus monkeys resulted in a robust recovery of fine motor function and reduced chronic inflammation. Here, we used immunohistochemistry for cfos, an activity-dependent intermediate early gene, to label task-related neurons in the surviving primary motor and premotor cortices, and markers of axonal and synaptic plasticity in the spinal cord. Compared to vehicle, EV treatment was associated with a greater density of cfos+ pyramidal neurons in the deep layers of M1, greater density of cfos+ inhibitory interneurons in premotor areas, and lower density of synapses on MAP2+ lower motor neurons in the cervical spinal cord. These data suggest that the anti-inflammatory effects of EVs may reduce injury-related upper motor neuron damage and hyperexcitability, as well as aberrant compensatory re-organization in the cervical spinal cord to improve motor function.
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Key Words
- CB, Calbindin
- CR, Calretinin
- CSC, Cervical Spinal Cord
- Circuit Remodeling
- Cortical Injury
- DH, Dorsal Horn
- EVs, Extracellular Vesicles
- Extracellular Vesicles
- Ischemia
- LCST, Lateral Corticospinal Tract
- M1, Primary Motor Cortex
- MAP2, Microtubule Associated Protein 2
- MSCd, Mesenchymal Stem Cell derived
- Motor Cortex
- NHP, Non-Human Primate
- PV, Parvalbumin
- Plasticity
- ROS, Reactive Oxygen Species
- SYN, Synaptophysin
- Stem Cell-Based Treatments
- VH, Ventral Horn
- dPMC, dorsal Premotor Cortex
- miRNA, Micro RNA
- periM1, Perilesional Primary Motor Cortex
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Douglas L. Rosene
- Anatomy and Neurobiology Dept, BUSM, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, BU, USA
| | | | - Maria Medalla
- Anatomy and Neurobiology Dept, BUSM, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, BU, USA
| | - Tara L. Moore
- Anatomy and Neurobiology Dept, BUSM, USA
- Center for Systems Neuroscience, BU, USA
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11
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Anderson MA, Squair JW, Gautier M, Hutson TH, Kathe C, Barraud Q, Bloch J, Courtine G. Natural and targeted circuit reorganization after spinal cord injury. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:1584-1596. [PMID: 36396975 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01196-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
A spinal cord injury disrupts communication between the brain and the circuits in the spinal cord that regulate neurological functions. The consequences are permanent paralysis, loss of sensation and debilitating dysautonomia. However, the majority of circuits located above and below the injury remain anatomically intact, and these circuits can reorganize naturally to improve function. In addition, various neuromodulation therapies have tapped into these processes to further augment recovery. Emerging research is illuminating the requirements to reconstitute damaged circuits. Here, we summarize these natural and targeted reorganizations of circuits after a spinal cord injury. We also advocate for new concepts of reorganizing circuits informed by multi-omic single-cell atlases of recovery from injury. These atlases will uncover the molecular logic that governs the selection of 'recovery-organizing' neuronal subpopulations, and are poised to herald a new era in spinal cord medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Anderson
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), EPFL/CHUV/UNIL, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jordan W Squair
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), EPFL/CHUV/UNIL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matthieu Gautier
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), EPFL/CHUV/UNIL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Thomas H Hutson
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), EPFL/CHUV/UNIL, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Kathe
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), EPFL/CHUV/UNIL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Quentin Barraud
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), EPFL/CHUV/UNIL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jocelyne Bloch
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), EPFL/CHUV/UNIL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Grégoire Courtine
- NeuroX Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (NeuroRestore), EPFL/CHUV/UNIL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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12
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Kathe C, Skinnider MA, Hutson TH, Regazzi N, Gautier M, Demesmaeker R, Komi S, Ceto S, James ND, Cho N, Baud L, Galan K, Matson KJE, Rowald A, Kim K, Wang R, Minassian K, Prior JO, Asboth L, Barraud Q, Lacour SP, Levine AJ, Wagner F, Bloch J, Squair JW, Courtine G. The neurons that restore walking after paralysis. Nature 2022; 611:540-547. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05385-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
AbstractA spinal cord injury interrupts pathways from the brain and brainstem that project to the lumbar spinal cord, leading to paralysis. Here we show that spatiotemporal epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the lumbar spinal cord1–3 applied during neurorehabilitation4,5 (EESREHAB) restored walking in nine individuals with chronic spinal cord injury. This recovery involved a reduction in neuronal activity in the lumbar spinal cord of humans during walking. We hypothesized that this unexpected reduction reflects activity-dependent selection of specific neuronal subpopulations that become essential for a patient to walk after spinal cord injury. To identify these putative neurons, we modelled the technological and therapeutic features underlying EESREHAB in mice. We applied single-nucleus RNA sequencing6–9 and spatial transcriptomics10,11 to the spinal cords of these mice to chart a spatially resolved molecular atlas of recovery from paralysis. We then employed cell type12,13 and spatial prioritization to identify the neurons involved in the recovery of walking. A single population of excitatory interneurons nested within intermediate laminae emerged. Although these neurons are not required for walking before spinal cord injury, we demonstrate that they are essential for the recovery of walking with EES following spinal cord injury. Augmenting the activity of these neurons phenocopied the recovery of walking enabled by EESREHAB, whereas ablating them prevented the recovery of walking that occurs spontaneously after moderate spinal cord injury. We thus identified a recovery-organizing neuronal subpopulation that is necessary and sufficient to regain walking after paralysis. Moreover, our methodology establishes a framework for using molecular cartography to identify the neurons that produce complex behaviours.
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13
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Müller F, De Virgiliis F, Kong G, Zhou L, Serger E, Chadwick J, Sanchez-Vassopoulos A, Singh AK, Eswaramoorthy M, Kundu TK, Di Giovanni S. CBP/p300 activation promotes axon growth, sprouting, and synaptic plasticity in chronic experimental spinal cord injury with severe disability. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001310. [PMID: 36126035 PMCID: PMC9488786 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The interruption of spinal circuitry following spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts neural activity and is followed by a failure to mount an effective regenerative response resulting in permanent neurological disability. Functional recovery requires the enhancement of axonal and synaptic plasticity of spared as well as injured fibres, which need to sprout and/or regenerate to form new connections. Here, we have investigated whether the epigenetic stimulation of the regenerative gene expression program can overcome the current inability to promote neurological recovery in chronic SCI with severe disability. We delivered the CBP/p300 activator CSP-TTK21 or vehicle CSP weekly between week 12 and 22 following a transection model of SCI in mice housed in an enriched environment. Data analysis showed that CSP-TTK21 enhanced classical regenerative signalling in dorsal root ganglia sensory but not cortical motor neurons, stimulated motor and sensory axon growth, sprouting, and synaptic plasticity, but failed to promote neurological sensorimotor recovery. This work provides direct evidence that clinically suitable pharmacological CBP/p300 activation can promote the expression of regeneration-associated genes and axonal growth in a chronic SCI with severe neurological disability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Müller
- Department of Brain Sciences, Division of Neuroscience, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco De Virgiliis
- Department of Brain Sciences, Division of Neuroscience, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Guiping Kong
- Department of Brain Sciences, Division of Neuroscience, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Luming Zhou
- Department of Brain Sciences, Division of Neuroscience, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Elisabeth Serger
- Department of Brain Sciences, Division of Neuroscience, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica Chadwick
- Department of Brain Sciences, Division of Neuroscience, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Akash Kumar Singh
- Transcription and Disease Laboratory, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, JNCASR, Bangalore, India
| | | | - Tapas K. Kundu
- Transcription and Disease Laboratory, Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, JNCASR, Bangalore, India
- Neuroscience Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Simone Di Giovanni
- Department of Brain Sciences, Division of Neuroscience, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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14
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Samejima S, Henderson R, Pradarelli J, Mondello SE, Moritz CT. Activity-dependent plasticity and spinal cord stimulation for motor recovery following spinal cord injury. Exp Neurol 2022; 357:114178. [PMID: 35878817 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Spinal cord injuries lead to permanent physical impairment despite most often being anatomically incomplete disruptions of the spinal cord. Remaining connections between the brain and spinal cord create the potential for inducing neural plasticity to improve sensorimotor function, even many years after injury. This narrative review provides an overview of the current evidence for spontaneous motor recovery, activity-dependent plasticity, and interventions for restoring motor control to residual brain and spinal cord networks via spinal cord stimulation. In addition to open-loop spinal cord stimulation to promote long-term neuroplasticity, we also review a more targeted approach: closed-loop stimulation. Lastly, we review mechanisms of spinal cord neuromodulation to promote sensorimotor recovery, with the goal of advancing the field of rehabilitation for physical impairments following spinal cord injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soshi Samejima
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Medicine, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Richard Henderson
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jared Pradarelli
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sarah E Mondello
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Chet T Moritz
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA; Center for Neurotechnology, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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15
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Analysis of temperaturepain sensitivity in patients with consequences of the cervical spinal cord injury. ACTA BIOMEDICA SCIENTIFICA 2022. [DOI: 10.29413/abs.2022-7.3.20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. The standard neurological assessment in patients with long-term consequences of spine-and-spinal cord injury and severe neurological deficit does not allow to accurately identify changes in sensitivity that determine the level, degree and nature of spinal cord injury, as well as to evaluate the minimal dynamics of these disorders with different treatment options. As a result, an objective instrumental assessment of the sensory sphere in the long-term period of spinal cord injury has not lost its relevance.The aim. To conduct an instrumental study of the temperature-pain sensitivity condition in patients with partial gross damage to the cervical spinal cord in the long-term period of the disease (type B on the ASIA scale).Methods. We examined 23 patients with consequences of vertebral fractures of the cervical spine in the late period of traumatic spinal cord disease, Grade B on the ASIA scale ASIA. The clinical analysis of sensitive disorders was performed according to ISNCSCI and ASIA scales. While studying the temperature-pain sensitivity the threshold of thermal sensitivity and the threshold of pain from hot were determined in СIV–SI dermatomes on the right and on the left using an electricesthesiometer.Results. The examined patients had hypesthesia of heat and pain sensitivity, hyperesthesia of pain sensitivity, thermoanesthesia and thermoanalgesia. The degree of changes in the temperature-pain sensitivity depended on the topographic localization of dermatomes. The more distally the study area was located from the level of damage, the more pronounced the disorders were. In 30.4 % of patients, the pain sensitivity from hot in the chain of dermatomes from CIV to SI was preserved on at least one side. The combination of thermoanesthesia with thermoanalgesia was observed in 69.6 % of cases in dermatomes with ThVII and distally.Conclusions. The instrumentally registered level of the temperature-pain sensitivity disorder did not correspond to clinically determined localization of sensory disorders. The range of discrepancy ranged from 2 to 12 dermatomes, with defining the sensitivity subclinical deficit over the area of clinical sensory disorders.
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16
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Neurotransmitter phenotype switching by spinal excitatory interneurons regulates locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury. Nat Neurosci 2022; 25:617-629. [PMID: 35524138 PMCID: PMC9076533 DOI: 10.1038/s41593-022-01067-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Severe spinal cord injury in adults leads to irreversible paralysis below the lesion. However, adult rodents that received a complete thoracic lesion just after birth demonstrate proficient hindlimb locomotion without input from the brain. How the spinal cord achieves such striking plasticity remains unknown. In this study, we found that adult spinal cord injury prompts neurotransmitter switching of spatially defined excitatory interneurons to an inhibitory phenotype, promoting inhibition at synapses contacting motor neurons. In contrast, neonatal spinal cord injury maintains the excitatory phenotype of glutamatergic interneurons and causes synaptic sprouting to facilitate excitation. Furthermore, genetic manipulation to mimic the inhibitory phenotype observed in excitatory interneurons after adult spinal cord injury abrogates autonomous locomotor functionality in neonatally injured mice. In comparison, attenuating this inhibitory phenotype improves locomotor capacity after adult injury. Together, these data demonstrate that neurotransmitter phenotype of defined excitatory interneurons steers locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury.
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17
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Shepard CT, Pocratsky AM, Brown BL, Van Rijswijck MA, Zalla RM, Burke DA, Morehouse JR, Riegler AS, Whittemore SR, Magnuson DSK. Silencing long ascending propriospinal neurons after spinal cord injury improves hindlimb stepping in the adult rat. eLife 2021; 10:e70058. [PMID: 34854375 PMCID: PMC8639151 DOI: 10.7554/elife.70058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Long ascending propriospinal neurons (LAPNs) are a subpopulation of spinal cord interneurons that directly connect the lumbar and cervical enlargements. Previously we showed, in uninjured animals, that conditionally silencing LAPNs disrupted left-right coordination of the hindlimbs and forelimbs in a context-dependent manner, demonstrating that LAPNs secure alternation of the fore- and hindlimb pairs during overground stepping. Given the ventrolateral location of LAPN axons in the spinal cord white matter, many likely remain intact following incomplete, contusive, thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI), suggesting a potential role in the recovery of stepping. Thus, we hypothesized that silencing LAPNs after SCI would disrupt recovered locomotion. Instead, we found that silencing spared LAPNs post-SCI improved locomotor function, including paw placement order and timing, and a decrease in the number of dorsal steps. Silencing also restored left-right hindlimb coordination and normalized spatiotemporal features of gait such as stance and swing time. However, hindlimb-forelimb coordination was not restored. These data indicate that the temporal information carried between the spinal enlargements by the spared LAPNs post-SCI is detrimental to recovered hindlimb locomotor function. These findings are an illustration of a post-SCI neuroanatomical-functional paradox and have implications for the development of neuronal- and axonal-protective therapeutic strategies and the clinical study/implementation of neuromodulation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney T Shepard
- Interdisciplinary Program in Translational Neuroscience, School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
| | - Amanda M Pocratsky
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
| | - Brandon L Brown
- Interdisciplinary Program in Translational Neuroscience, School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
| | - Morgan A Van Rijswijck
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Speed School of Engineering, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
| | - Rachel M Zalla
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Speed School of Engineering, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
| | - Darlene A Burke
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
| | - Johnny R Morehouse
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
| | - Amberley S Riegler
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
| | - Scott R Whittemore
- Interdisciplinary Program in Translational Neuroscience, School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
| | - David SK Magnuson
- Interdisciplinary Program in Translational Neuroscience, School of Interdisciplinary and Graduate Studies, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Department of Anatomical Sciences and Neurobiology, University of Louisville, LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Speed School of Engineering, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of LouisvilleLouisvilleUnited States
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18
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Squair JW, Gautier M, Kathe C, Anderson MA, James ND, Hutson TH, Hudelle R, Qaiser T, Matson KJE, Barraud Q, Levine AJ, La Manno G, Skinnider MA, Courtine G. Confronting false discoveries in single-cell differential expression. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5692. [PMID: 34584091 PMCID: PMC8479118 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25960-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 297] [Impact Index Per Article: 99.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Differential expression analysis in single-cell transcriptomics enables the dissection of cell-type-specific responses to perturbations such as disease, trauma, or experimental manipulations. While many statistical methods are available to identify differentially expressed genes, the principles that distinguish these methods and their performance remain unclear. Here, we show that the relative performance of these methods is contingent on their ability to account for variation between biological replicates. Methods that ignore this inevitable variation are biased and prone to false discoveries. Indeed, the most widely used methods can discover hundreds of differentially expressed genes in the absence of biological differences. To exemplify these principles, we exposed true and false discoveries of differentially expressed genes in the injured mouse spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan W Squair
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- NeuroRestore, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Matthieu Gautier
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- NeuroRestore, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Kathe
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- NeuroRestore, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Mark A Anderson
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- NeuroRestore, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicholas D James
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- NeuroRestore, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Thomas H Hutson
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- NeuroRestore, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Rémi Hudelle
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- NeuroRestore, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Taha Qaiser
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Kaya J E Matson
- Spinal Circuits and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Quentin Barraud
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- NeuroRestore, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ariel J Levine
- Spinal Circuits and Plasticity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Gioele La Manno
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Michael A Skinnider
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- NeuroRestore, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Grégoire Courtine
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- NeuroRestore, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
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19
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Ibáñez J, Angeli CA, Harkema SJ, Farina D, Rejc E. Recruitment order of motor neurons promoted by epidural stimulation in individuals with spinal cord injury. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2021; 131:1100-1110. [PMID: 34382840 PMCID: PMC8461808 DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00293.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord epidural stimulation (scES) combined with activity-based training can promote motor function recovery in individuals with motor complete spinal cord injury (SCI). The characteristics of motor neuron recruitment, which influence different aspects of motor control, are still unknown when motor function is promoted by scES. Here, we enrolled five individuals with chronic motor complete SCI implanted with a scES unit to study the recruitment order of motor neurons during standing enabled by scES. We recorded high-density electromyography (HD-EMG) signals on the vastus lateralis muscle, and inferred the order of recruitment of motor neurons from the relation between amplitude and conduction velocity of the scES-evoked EMG responses along the muscle fibers. Conduction velocity of scES-evoked responses was modulated over time, while stimulation parameters and standing condition remained constant, with average values ranging between 3.0±0.1 and 4.4±0.3 m/s. We found that the human spinal circuitry receiving epidural stimulation can promote both orderly (according to motor neuron size) and inverse trends of motor neuron recruitment, and that the engagement of spinal networks promoting rhythmic activity may favor orderly recruitment trends. Conversely, the different recruitment trends did not appear to be related with time since injury or scES implant, nor to the ability to achieve independent knees extension, nor to the conduction velocity values. The proposed approach can be implemented to investigate the effects of stimulation parameters and training-induced neural plasticity on the characteristics of motor neuron recruitment order, contributing to improve mechanistic understanding and effectiveness of epidural stimulation-promoted motor recovery after SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaime Ibáñez
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Clinical and Movement Disorders, Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Claudia A Angeli
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States.,Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, University of Louisville Health, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
| | - Susan J Harkema
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States.,Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, University of Louisville Health, Louisville, Kentucky, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
| | - Dario Farina
- Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Enrico Rejc
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, United States
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20
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A Time-Course Study of the Expression Level of Synaptic Plasticity-Associated Genes in Un-Lesioned Spinal Cord and Brain Areas in a Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury: A Bioinformatic Approach. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22168606. [PMID: 34445312 PMCID: PMC8395345 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22168606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
"Neuroplasticity" is often evoked to explain adaptation and compensation after acute lesions of the Central Nervous System (CNS). In this study, we investigated the modification of 80 genes involved in synaptic plasticity at different times (24 h, 8 and 45 days) from the traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), adopting a bioinformatic analysis. mRNA expression levels were analyzed in the motor cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum and in the spinal segments rostral and caudal to the lesion. The main results are: (i) a different gene expression regulation is observed in the Spinal Cord (SC) segments rostral and caudal to the lesion; (ii) long lasting changes in the SC includes the extracellular matrix (ECM) enzymes Timp1, transcription regulators (Egr, Nr4a1), second messenger associated proteins (Gna1, Ywhaq); (iii) long-lasting changes in the Motor Cortex includes transcription regulators (Cebpd), neurotransmitters/neuromodulators and receptors (Cnr1, Gria1, Nos1), growth factors and related receptors (Igf1, Ntf3, Ntrk2), second messenger associated proteins (Mapk1); long lasting changes in Basal Ganglia and Cerebellum include ECM protein (Reln), growth factors (Ngf, Bdnf), transcription regulators (Egr, Cebpd), neurotransmitter receptors (Grin2c). These data suggest the molecular mapping as a useful tool to investigate the brain and SC reorganization after SCI.
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21
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Bilchak JN, Caron G, Côté MP. Exercise-Induced Plasticity in Signaling Pathways Involved in Motor Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22094858. [PMID: 34064332 PMCID: PMC8124911 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094858] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 04/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to numerous chronic and debilitating functional deficits that greatly affect quality of life. While many pharmacological interventions have been explored, the current unsurpassed therapy for most SCI sequalae is exercise. Exercise has an expansive influence on peripheral health and function, and by activating the relevant neural pathways, exercise also ameliorates numerous disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). While the exact mechanisms by which this occurs are still being delineated, major strides have been made in the past decade to understand the molecular underpinnings of this essential treatment. Exercise rapidly and prominently affects dendritic sprouting, synaptic connections, neurotransmitter production and regulation, and ionic homeostasis, with recent literature implicating an exercise-induced increase in neurotrophins as the cornerstone that binds many of these effects together. The field encompasses vast complexity, and as the data accumulate, disentangling these molecular pathways and how they interact will facilitate the optimization of intervention strategies and improve quality of life for individuals affected by SCI. This review describes the known molecular effects of exercise and how they alter the CNS to pacify the injury environment, increase neuronal survival and regeneration, restore normal neural excitability, create new functional circuits, and ultimately improve motor function following SCI.
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22
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Bonizzato M, James ND, Pidpruzhnykova G, Pavlova N, Shkorbatova P, Baud L, Martinez-Gonzalez C, Squair JW, DiGiovanna J, Barraud Q, Micera S, Courtine G. Multi-pronged neuromodulation intervention engages the residual motor circuitry to facilitate walking in a rat model of spinal cord injury. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1925. [PMID: 33771986 PMCID: PMC7997909 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-22137-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A spinal cord injury usually spares some components of the locomotor circuitry. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the midbrain locomotor region and epidural electrical stimulation of the lumbar spinal cord (EES) are being used to tap into this spared circuitry to enable locomotion in humans with spinal cord injury. While appealing, the potential synergy between DBS and EES remains unknown. Here, we report the synergistic facilitation of locomotion when DBS is combined with EES in a rat model of severe contusion spinal cord injury leading to leg paralysis. However, this synergy requires high amplitudes of DBS, which triggers forced locomotion associated with stress responses. To suppress these undesired responses, we link DBS to the intention to walk, decoded from cortical activity using a robust, rapidly calibrated unsupervised learning algorithm. This contingency amplifies the supraspinal descending command while empowering the rats into volitional walking. However, the resulting improvements may not outweigh the complex technological framework necessary to establish viable therapeutic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Bonizzato
- Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational Neuroengineering, Center for Neuroprosthetics and Institute of Bioengineering, School of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicholas D James
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Galyna Pidpruzhnykova
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Natalia Pavlova
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Motor Physiology Laboratory, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Polina Shkorbatova
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Neuromorphology Laboratory, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Laetitia Baud
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Cristina Martinez-Gonzalez
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jordan W Squair
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Quentin Barraud
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Silvestro Micera
- Bertarelli Foundation Chair in Translational Neuroengineering, Center for Neuroprosthetics and Institute of Bioengineering, School of Bioengineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gregoire Courtine
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland.
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHUV, Lausanne, Switzerland.
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23
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Squair JW, Gautier M, Mahe L, Soriano JE, Rowald A, Bichat A, Cho N, Anderson MA, James ND, Gandar J, Incognito AV, Schiavone G, Sarafis ZK, Laskaratos A, Bartholdi K, Demesmaeker R, Komi S, Moerman C, Vaseghi B, Scott B, Rosentreter R, Kathe C, Ravier J, McCracken L, Kang X, Vachicouras N, Fallegger F, Jelescu I, Cheng Y, Li Q, Buschman R, Buse N, Denison T, Dukelow S, Charbonneau R, Rigby I, Boyd SK, Millar PJ, Moraud EM, Capogrosso M, Wagner FB, Barraud Q, Bezard E, Lacour SP, Bloch J, Courtine G, Phillips AA. Neuroprosthetic baroreflex controls haemodynamics after spinal cord injury. Nature 2021; 590:308-314. [PMID: 33505019 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03180-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces haemodynamic instability that threatens survival1-3, impairs neurological recovery4,5, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease6,7, and reduces quality of life8,9. Haemodynamic instability in this context is due to the interruption of supraspinal efferent commands to sympathetic circuits located in the spinal cord10, which prevents the natural baroreflex from controlling these circuits to adjust peripheral vascular resistance. Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the spinal cord has been shown to compensate for interrupted supraspinal commands to motor circuits below the injury11, and restored walking after paralysis12. Here, we leveraged these concepts to develop EES protocols that restored haemodynamic stability after SCI. We established a preclinical model that enabled us to dissect the topology and dynamics of the sympathetic circuits, and to understand how EES can engage these circuits. We incorporated these spatial and temporal features into stimulation protocols to conceive a clinical-grade biomimetic haemodynamic regulator that operates in a closed loop. This 'neuroprosthetic baroreflex' controlled haemodynamics for extended periods of time in rodents, non-human primates and humans, after both acute and chronic SCI. We will now conduct clinical trials to turn the neuroprosthetic baroreflex into a commonly available therapy for people with SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan W Squair
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Neurosurgery, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,MD/PhD Training Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,RestoreNetwork, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Matthieu Gautier
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lois Mahe
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jan Elaine Soriano
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,RestoreNetwork, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Andreas Rowald
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Arnaud Bichat
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Newton Cho
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Mark A Anderson
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicholas D James
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jerome Gandar
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anthony V Incognito
- RestoreNetwork, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Giuseppe Schiavone
- Centre for Neuroprosthetics, Institute of Microengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Zoe K Sarafis
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Achilleas Laskaratos
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Kay Bartholdi
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Robin Demesmaeker
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Salif Komi
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Charlotte Moerman
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Bita Vaseghi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Berkeley Scott
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,RestoreNetwork, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ryan Rosentreter
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,RestoreNetwork, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Claudia Kathe
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jimmy Ravier
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laura McCracken
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Xiaoyang Kang
- Centre for Neuroprosthetics, Institute of Microengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Vachicouras
- Centre for Neuroprosthetics, Institute of Microengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Florian Fallegger
- Centre for Neuroprosthetics, Institute of Microengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Ileana Jelescu
- Center for Biomedical Imaging, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | | | - Qin Li
- Motac Neuroscience Ltd, Manchester, UK
| | | | | | - Tim Denison
- Department of Engineering Science and Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Sean Dukelow
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,RestoreNetwork, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Radiology, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Rebecca Charbonneau
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,RestoreNetwork, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ian Rigby
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Steven K Boyd
- Department of Radiology, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Philip J Millar
- Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Eduardo Martin Moraud
- Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Marco Capogrosso
- Faculty of Biology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Fabien B Wagner
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université de Bordeaux, UMR, 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - Quentin Barraud
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Erwan Bezard
- Motac Neuroscience Ltd, Manchester, UK.,Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, Université de Bordeaux, UMR, 5293, Bordeaux, France.,Institut des Maladies Neurodégénératives, CNRS, UMR, 5293, Bordeaux, France
| | - Stéphanie P Lacour
- Centre for Neuroprosthetics, Institute of Microengineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jocelyne Bloch
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Neurosurgery, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Grégoire Courtine
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Department of Neurosurgery, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Defitech Center for Interventional Neurotherapies (.NeuroRestore), CHUV/UNIL/EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Aaron A Phillips
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. .,Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. .,Department of Cardiac Sciences, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. .,International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. .,RestoreNetwork, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
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24
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Fouad K, Popovich PG, Kopp MA, Schwab JM. The neuroanatomical-functional paradox in spinal cord injury. Nat Rev Neurol 2021; 17:53-62. [PMID: 33311711 PMCID: PMC9012488 DOI: 10.1038/s41582-020-00436-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Although lesion size is widely considered to be the most reliable predictor of outcome after CNS injury, lesions of comparable size can produce vastly different magnitudes of functional impairment and subsequent recovery. This neuroanatomical-functional paradox is likely to contribute to the many failed attempts to independently replicate findings from animal models of neurotrauma. In humans, the analogous clinical-radiological paradox could explain why individuals with similar injuries can respond differently to rehabilitation. We describe the neuroanatomical-functional paradox in the context of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and discuss the underlying mechanisms of the paradox, including the concepts of lesion-affected and recovery-related networks. We also consider the various secondary complications that further limit the accuracy of outcome prediction in SCI and provide suggestions for how to increase the predictive, translational value of preclinical SCI models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Fouad
- Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
- Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Phillip G Popovich
- Belford Center for Spinal Cord Injury, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
- The Neurological Institute, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Marcel A Kopp
- Clinical & Experimental Spinal Cord Injury Research, Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health (QUEST-Center for Transforming Biomedical Research), Berlin, Germany
| | - Jan M Schwab
- Belford Center for Spinal Cord Injury, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
- The Neurological Institute, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Clinical & Experimental Spinal Cord Injury Research, Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
- Spinal Cord Injury Medicine (Neuroplegiology), Department of Neurology, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, The Ohio State University, Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
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25
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Yao Q, Guan J, Ma L, Cheng L, Duan F, Xu F, Zhao W, Duan W, Wu H, Chen Z, Jian F. Wireless Epidural Electrical Stimulation in Combination With Serotonin Agonists Improves Intraspinal Metabolism in Spinal Cord Injury Rats. Neuromodulation 2020; 24:416-426. [PMID: 33377590 DOI: 10.1111/ner.13344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The combination of epidural electrical stimulation (EES) and serotonin agonists (5-HTA) effectively restores rhythmic lower-limb movements and improves intraspinal hemodynamics after spinal cord injury (SCI). Nonetheless, whether EES + 5-HTA improves intraspinal metabolism remains unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of EES + 5-HTA on intraspinal metabolism in SCI rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS Wireless EES (WEES) implantation with complete T8 transection was performed in SCI rats. Electrodes were placed at the T12 and L2 vertebral levels. After rest for a week, the SCI rats received 11 weeks of WEES + 5-HTA treatment and treadmill training. WEES was switched off after each daily training. Locomotor function was evaluated by motion capture at week 12. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography was conducted to evaluate basal metabolism when WEES was switched off and assess task metabolism when WEES was switched on. RESULTS With locomotor recovery after training for 11 weeks, WEES + 5-HTA conjointly improved basal metabolism (vs. each intervention alone; p < 0.05) and linearly modulated task metabolism in a frequency-dependent manner (R2 = 0.8901). Furthermore, 60 Hz of WEES was identified as the threshold for the extensive activation of the spinal cord's task metabolism below the transection plane (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS WEES + 5-HTA could conjointly restore basal metabolism to a healthy level and modulate task metabolism by adjusting the stimulation frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyu Yao
- Department of Neurosurgery, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Research Center of Spine and Spinal Cord, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Lab of Spinal Cord Injury and Functional Reconstruction, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Guan
- Department of Neurosurgery, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Research Center of Spine and Spinal Cord, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Lab of Spinal Cord Injury and Functional Reconstruction, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Longbing Ma
- Department of Neurosurgery, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Research Center of Spine and Spinal Cord, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Lab of Spinal Cord Injury and Functional Reconstruction, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lei Cheng
- Department of Neurosurgery, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Research Center of Spine and Spinal Cord, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Lab of Spinal Cord Injury and Functional Reconstruction, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Feng Duan
- College of Artificial Intelligence, Nankai University, Tianjin, China
| | - Fu Xu
- School of Aerospace Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Wang Zhao
- Department of Management Science, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - Wanru Duan
- Department of Neurosurgery, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Research Center of Spine and Spinal Cord, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Lab of Spinal Cord Injury and Functional Reconstruction, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Hao Wu
- Department of Neurosurgery, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Research Center of Spine and Spinal Cord, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Lab of Spinal Cord Injury and Functional Reconstruction, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Zan Chen
- Department of Neurosurgery, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Research Center of Spine and Spinal Cord, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Lab of Spinal Cord Injury and Functional Reconstruction, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Fengzeng Jian
- Department of Neurosurgery, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Research Center of Spine and Spinal Cord, Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China.,Lab of Spinal Cord Injury and Functional Reconstruction, China International Neuroscience Institute (CHINA-INI), Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
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26
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Casabona A, Valle MS, Dominante C, Laudani L, Onesta MP, Cioni M. Effects of Functional Electrical Stimulation Cycling of Different Duration on Viscoelastic and Electromyographic Properties of the Knee in Patients with Spinal Cord Injury. Brain Sci 2020; 11:brainsci11010007. [PMID: 33374653 PMCID: PMC7822482 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11010007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
The benefits of functional electrical stimulation during cycling (FES-cycling) have been ascertained following spinal cord injury. The instrumented pendulum test was applied to chronic paraplegic patients to investigate the effects of FES-cycling of different duration (20-min vs. 40-min) on biomechanical and electromyographic characterization of knee mobility. Seven adults with post-traumatic paraplegia attended two FES-cycling sessions, a 20-min and a 40-min one, in a random order. Knee angular excursion, stiffness and viscosity were measured using the pendulum test before and after each session. Surface electromyographic activity was recorded from the rectus femoris (RF) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles. FES-cycling led to reduced excursion (p < 0.001) and increased stiffness (p = 0.005) of the knee, which was more evident after the 20-min than 40-min session. Noteworthy, biomechanical changes were associated with an increase of muscle activity and changes in latency of muscle activity only for 20-min, with anticipated response times for RF (p < 0.001) and delayed responses for BF (p = 0.033). These results indicate that significant functional changes in knee mobility can be achieved by FES-cycling for 20 min, as evaluated by the pendulum test in patients with chronic paraplegia. The observed muscle behaviour suggests modulatory effects of exercise on spinal network aimed to partially restore automatic neuronal processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonino Casabona
- Laboratory of Neuro-Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (A.C.); (C.D.); (L.L.); (M.C.)
- Residency Program of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Maria Stella Valle
- Laboratory of Neuro-Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (A.C.); (C.D.); (L.L.); (M.C.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Claudio Dominante
- Laboratory of Neuro-Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (A.C.); (C.D.); (L.L.); (M.C.)
- Residency Program of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
| | - Luca Laudani
- Laboratory of Neuro-Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (A.C.); (C.D.); (L.L.); (M.C.)
- Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences, Cardiff Metropolitan University, Cardiff CF5 2YB, UK
| | | | - Matteo Cioni
- Laboratory of Neuro-Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy; (A.C.); (C.D.); (L.L.); (M.C.)
- Residency Program of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, 95123 Catania, Italy
- U.O.P.I. Gait and Posture Analysis Laboratory—A.O.U. Policlinico Vittorio Emanuele, 95123 Catania, Italy
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27
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Rejc E, Smith AC, Weber KA, Ugiliweneza B, Bert RJ, Negahdar M, Boakye M, Harkema SJ, Angeli CA. Spinal Cord Imaging Markers and Recovery of Volitional Leg Movement With Spinal Cord Epidural Stimulation in Individuals With Clinically Motor Complete Spinal Cord Injury. Front Syst Neurosci 2020; 14:559313. [PMID: 33192348 PMCID: PMC7654217 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2020.559313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that epidural stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord (scES) can re-enable lower limb volitional motor control in individuals with chronic, clinically motor complete spinal cord injury (SCI). This observation entails that residual supraspinal connectivity to the lumbosacral spinal circuitry still persisted after SCI, although it was non-detectable when scES was not provided. In the present study, we aimed at exploring further the mechanisms underlying scES-promoted recovery of volitional lower limb motor control by investigating neuroimaging markers at the spinal cord lesion site via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Spinal cord MRI was collected prior to epidural stimulator implantation in 13 individuals with chronic, clinically motor complete SCI, and the spared tissue of specific regions of the spinal cord (anterior, posterior, right, left, and total cord) was assessed. After epidural stimulator implantation, and prior to any training, volitional motor control was evaluated during left and right lower limb flexion and ankle dorsiflexion attempts. The ability to generate force exertion and movement was not correlated to any neuroimaging marker. On the other hand, spared tissue of specific cord regions significantly and importantly correlated with some aspects of motor control that include activation amplitude of antagonist (negative correlation) muscles during left ankle dorsiflexion, and electromyographic coordination patterns during right lower limb flexion. The fact that amount and location of spared spinal cord tissue at the lesion site were not related to the ability to generate volitional lower limb movements may suggest that supraspinal inputs through spared spinal cord regions that differ across individuals can result in the generation of lower limb volitional motor output prior to any training when epidural stimulation is provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Rejc
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Andrew C Smith
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy Program, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Kenneth A Weber
- Department of Anethesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Beatrice Ugiliweneza
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Robert J Bert
- Department of Radiology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | | | - Maxwell Boakye
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Susan J Harkema
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.,Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, University of Louisville Health, Louisville, KY, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Claudia A Angeli
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.,Frazier Rehabilitation Institute, University of Louisville Health, Louisville, KY, United States.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
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28
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Lewis MJ, Jeffery ND, Olby NJ. Ambulation in Dogs With Absent Pain Perception After Acute Thoracolumbar Spinal Cord Injury. Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:560. [PMID: 33062648 PMCID: PMC7479830 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.00560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute thoracolumbar spinal cord injury (SCI) is common in dogs frequently secondary to intervertebral disc herniation. Following severe injury, some dogs never regain sensory function to the pelvic limbs or tail and are designated chronically "deep pain negative." Despite this, a subset of these dogs develop spontaneous motor recovery over time including some that recover sufficient function in their pelvic limbs to walk independently without assistance or weight support. This type of ambulation is commonly known as "spinal walking" and can take up to a year or more to develop. This review provides a comparative overview of locomotion and explores the physiology of locomotor recovery after severe SCI in dogs. We discuss the mechanisms by which post-injury plasticity and coordination between circuitry contained within the spinal cord, peripheral sensory feedback, and residual or recovered supraspinal connections might combine to underpin spinal walking. The clinical characteristics of spinal walking are outlined including what is known about the role of patient or injury features such as lesion location, timeframe post-injury, body size, and spasticity. The relationship between the emergence of spinal walking and electrodiagnostic and magnetic resonance imaging findings are also discussed. Finally, we review possible ways to predict or facilitate recovery of walking in chronically deep pain negative dogs. Improved understanding of the mechanisms of gait generation and plasticity of the surviving tissue after injury might pave the way for further treatment options and enhanced outcomes in severely injured dogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa J Lewis
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Nick D Jeffery
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Texas a & M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Natasha J Olby
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, United States
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29
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Dendritic Spine Dynamics after Peripheral Nerve Injury: An Intravital Structural Study. J Neurosci 2020; 40:4297-4308. [PMID: 32371602 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2858-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropathic pain is an intractable medical condition with few or no options for effective treatment. Emerging evidence shows a strong structure-function relationship between dendritic spine dysgenesis and the presence of neuropathic pain. Postmortem tissue analyses can only imply dynamic structural changes associated with injury-induced pain. Here, we profiled the in vivo dynamics of dendritic spines over time on the same superficial dorsal horn (lamina II) neurons before and after peripheral nerve injury-induced pain. We used a two-photon, whole-animal imaging paradigm that permitted repeat imaging of the same dendritic branches of these neurons in C57/Bl6 Thy1-YFP male mice. Our study demonstrates, for the first time, the ongoing, steady-state changes in dendritic spine dynamics in the dorsal horn associated with peripheral nerve injury and pain. Ultimately, the relationship between altered dendritic spine dynamics and neuropathic pain may serve as a structure-based opportunity to investigate mechanisms of pain following injury and disease.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This work is important because it demonstrates for the first time: (1) the powerful utility of intravital study of dendritic spine dynamics in the superficial dorsal horn; (2) that nerve injury-induced pain triggers changes in dendritic spine steady-state behavior in the spinal cord dorsal horn; and (3) this work opens the door to further investigations in vivo of spinal cord dendritic spine dynamics in the context of injury and disease.
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30
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Doperalski AE, Montgomery LR, Mondello SE, Howland DR. Anatomical Plasticity of Rostrally Terminating Axons as a Possible Bridging Substrate across a Spinal Injury. J Neurotrauma 2020; 37:877-888. [PMID: 31774025 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2018.6193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Transfer of information across a spinal lesion is required for many aspects of recovery across diverse motor systems. Our understanding of axonal plasticity and which subpopulations of neurons may contribute to bridging substrates following injury, however, remains relatively incomplete. Most recently, attention has been directed to propriospinal neurons (PSNs), with research suggesting that they are capable of bridging a spinal lesion in rodents. In the current study, subpopulations of both long (C5) and short (T6, T8) PSNs-as well as a supraspinal system, the rubrospinal tract (RST)-were assessed following low thoracic (T9) hemisection in the cat using the retrograde tracer Fluoro-Gold. Acutely, within 2 weeks post-hemisection, the numbers of short and long PSNs, as well as contralateral RST neurons, with axons crossing the lesion were significantly decreased relative to uninjured controls. This decrease persisted bilaterally and was permanent in the long PSNs and the contralateral red nucleus (RN). However, by 16 weeks post-hemisection, the numbers of ipsilesional and contralesional short PSNs bridging the lesion were significantly increased. Further, the number of contralesional contributing short PSNs was significantly greater in injured animals than in uninjured animals. A significant increase over uninjured numbers also was seen in the ipsilateral (non-axotomized) RN. These findings suggest that a novel substrate of undamaged axons, which normally terminates rostral to the lesion, grows past a thoracic lesion after injury. This rostral population represents a major component of the bridging substrate seen and may represent an important anatomical target for evolving rehabilitation approaches as a substrate capable of contributing to functional recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adele E Doperalski
- Department of Biology, American University, Washington DC.,Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.,Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida
| | - Lynnette R Montgomery
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky.,Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Sarah E Mondello
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.,Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida.,Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Dena R Howland
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.,Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, Florida.,Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky.,Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, Kentucky
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31
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Eldahan KC, Williams HC, Cox DH, Gollihue JL, Patel SP, Rabchevsky AG. Paradoxical effects of continuous high dose gabapentin treatment on autonomic dysreflexia after complete spinal cord injury. Exp Neurol 2020; 323:113083. [DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2019.113083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Revised: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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32
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Laliberte AM, Goltash S, Lalonde NR, Bui TV. Propriospinal Neurons: Essential Elements of Locomotor Control in the Intact and Possibly the Injured Spinal Cord. Front Cell Neurosci 2019; 13:512. [PMID: 31798419 PMCID: PMC6874159 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Propriospinal interneurons (INs) communicate information over short and long distances within the spinal cord. They act to coordinate different parts of the body by linking motor circuits that control muscles across the forelimbs, trunk, and hindlimbs. Their role in coordinating locomotor circuits near and far may be invaluable to the recovery of locomotor function lost due to injury to the spinal cord where the flow of motor commands from the brain and brainstem to spinal motor circuits is disrupted. The formation and activation of circuits established by spared propriospinal INs may promote the re-emergence of locomotion. In light of progress made in animal models of spinal cord injury (SCI) and in human patients, we discuss the role of propriospinal INs in the intact spinal cord and describe recent studies investigating the assembly and/or activation of propriospinal circuits to promote recovery of locomotion following SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex M Laliberte
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Sara Goltash
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Nicolas R Lalonde
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Tuan Vu Bui
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Brain and Mind Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
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33
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Squair JW, Lee AHX, Sarafis ZK, Coombs G, Barak O, Cragg JJ, Mijacika T, Pecotic R, Krassioukov AV, Dogas Z, Dujic Z, Phillips AA. Sleep-disordered breathing is associated with brain vascular reactivity in spinal cord injury. Neurology 2019; 93:e2181-e2191. [PMID: 31694923 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000008619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 06/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the population-level odds of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) experiencing fatigue and sleep apnea, to elucidate relationships with level and severity of injury, and to examine associations with abnormal cerebrovascular responsiveness. METHODS We used population-level data, meta-analyses, and primary physiologic assessments to provide a large-scale integrated assessment of sleep-related complications after SCI. Population-level and meta-analyses included more than 60,000 able-bodied individuals and more than 1,800 individuals with SCI. Physiologic assessments were completed on a homogenous sample of individuals with cervical SCI and matched controls. We examined the prevalence of (1) self-reported chronic fatigue, (2) clinically identified sleep apnea, and 3) cerebrovascular responsiveness to changing CO2. RESULTS Logistic regression revealed a 7-fold elevated odds of chronic fatigue after SCI (odds ratio [OR] 7.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.5-16.2), and that fatigue and trouble sleeping are correlated with the level and severity of injury. We further show that those with SCI experience elevated risk of clinically defined sleep-disordered breathing in more than 600 individuals with SCI (pooled OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.3-7.5). We confirmed that individuals with SCI experience a high rate of clinically defined sleep apnea using primary polysomnography assessments. We then provide evidence using syndromic analysis that sleep-disordered breathing is a factor strongly associated with impaired cerebrovascular responsiveness to CO2 in patients with SCI. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with SCI have an increased prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing, which may partially underpin their increased risk of stroke. There is thus a need to integrate sleep-related breathing examinations into routine care for individuals with SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan W Squair
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia
| | - Amanda H X Lee
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia
| | - Zoe K Sarafis
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia
| | - Geoff Coombs
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia
| | - Otto Barak
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia
| | - Jacquelyn J Cragg
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia
| | - Tanja Mijacika
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia
| | - Renata Pecotic
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia
| | - Andrei V Krassioukov
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia
| | - Zoran Dogas
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia
| | - Zeljko Dujic
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia
| | - Aaron A Phillips
- From the Departments of Physiology and Pharmacology, Clinical Neurosciences, and Cardiac Sciences (J.W.S., A.A.P.), and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, Cumming School of Medicine (J.W.S., A.A.P.), University of Calgary; Centre for Heart, Lung and Vascular Health, Faculty of Health and Social Development (G.C.), University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna; International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD) (J.W.S., A.H.X.L., Z.K.S., J.J.C., A.V.K.), MD/PhD Training Program (J.W.S.), and Department of Experimental Medicine (J.W.S., A.H.X.L.), Faculty of Medicine, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences (J.J.C.), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; Department of Integrative Physiology (O.B., T.M., Z.D.) and Department of Neuroscience, Split Sleep Medicine Center (R.P., Z.D.), University of Split School of Medicine, Split, Croatia; and Department of Physiology (O.B.), University of Novi Sad Medical School, Serbia.
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Arpin DJ, Ugiliweneza B, Forrest G, Harkema SJ, Rejc E. Optimizing Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation Pulse Width and Amplitude to Promote Central Activation in Individuals With Severe Spinal Cord Injury. Front Physiol 2019; 10:1310. [PMID: 31681016 PMCID: PMC6813182 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.01310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is one of the most effective treatments for counteracting the deleterious skeletal muscle adaptations that occur after spinal cord injury (SCI). Additionally, previous findings suggest that NMES can activate motor units via both peripheral and central mechanisms; however, this NMES-promoted central activation is not well understood. In this study, we aimed at investigating the effects of NMES on central activation in 10 individuals with motor complete SCI, focusing on understanding how to optimize NMES pulse width and amplitude for promoting central activation in this population. To this end, we used NMES to generate isometric contractions of the knee extensors and ankle plantarflexors while electromyographic (EMG) activity was recorded from the vastus lateralis and gastrocnemius medialis, respectively. We used EMG activity that persisted after the termination of NMES delivery (post-NMES) as a neurophysiological marker to assess central activation and explored differences in post-NMES EMG activity promoted by 500 and 1,000 μs pulse width NMES. Additionally, we explored the relationships between post-NMES EMG amplitude, torque output, and stimulation amplitude. Our results show that the higher pulse width (1,000 μs) demonstrated a greater effect on central activation as quantified by more frequent occurrences of post-NMES EMG activity (p = 0.002) and a 3.551 μV higher EMG amplitude (p = 0.003) when controlling for the torque output generated by 500 and 1,000 μs pulse width NMES. Importantly, we also found that the interplay among central activation, stimulation amplitude, and muscle torque output differs across SCI individuals, conceivably because of the individual-specific characteristics of the cord lesion and following plasticity of the spinal circuitry. These results suggest that NMES can be optimized to promote central activation, which may lead to novel opportunities for motor function recovery after SCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Arpin
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Beatrice Ugiliweneza
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Gail Forrest
- Human Performance and Engineering Research, Kessler Foundation, West Orange, NJ, United States.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Susan J Harkema
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.,Frazier Rehab Institute, KentuckyOne Health, Louisville, KY, United States
| | - Enrico Rejc
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, United States
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Mesbah S, Gonnelli F, Angeli CA, El-Baz A, Harkema SJ, Rejc E. Neurophysiological markers predicting recovery of standing in humans with chronic motor complete spinal cord injury. Sci Rep 2019; 9:14474. [PMID: 31597924 PMCID: PMC6785550 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50938-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The appropriate selection of individual-specific spinal cord epidural stimulation (scES) parameters is crucial to re-enable independent standing with self-assistance for balance in individuals with chronic, motor complete spinal cord injury, which is a key achievement toward the recovery of functional mobility. To date, there are no available algorithms that contribute to the selection of scES parameters for facilitating standing in this population. Here, we introduce a novel framework for EMG data processing that implements spectral analysis by continuous wavelet transform and machine learning methods for characterizing epidural stimulation-promoted EMG activity resulting in independent standing. Analysis of standing data collected from eleven motor complete research participants revealed that independent standing was promoted by EMG activity characterized by lower median frequency, lower variability of median frequency, lower variability of activation pattern, lower variability of instantaneous maximum power, and higher total power. Additionally, the high classification accuracy of assisted and independent standing allowed the development of a prediction algorithm that can provide feedback on the effectiveness of muscle-specific activation for standing promoted by the tested scES parameters. This framework can support researchers and clinicians during the process of selection of epidural stimulation parameters for standing motor rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samineh Mesbah
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.,Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.,Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Federica Gonnelli
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.,School of Sport Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Claudia A Angeli
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.,Frazier Rehab Institute, Kentucky One Health, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Ayman El-Baz
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Susan J Harkema
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.,Frazier Rehab Institute, Kentucky One Health, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Enrico Rejc
- Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA. .,Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
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Costa-García A, Iáñez E, del-Ama A, Gil-Agudo A, Azorín J. EEG model stability and online decoding of attentional demand during gait using gamma band features. Neurocomputing 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neucom.2019.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Proprioception: Bottom-up directive for motor recovery after spinal cord injury. Neurosci Res 2019; 154:1-8. [PMID: 31336141 DOI: 10.1016/j.neures.2019.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 07/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Proprioceptive feedback provides movement-matched sensory information essential for motor control and recovery after spinal cord injury. While it is understood that the fundamental contribution of proprioceptive feedback circuits in locomotor recovery is to activate the local spinal cord interneurons and motor neurons in a context-dependent manner, the precise mechanisms by which proprioception enables motor recovery after a spinal cord injury remain elusive. Furthermore, how proprioception contributes to motor learning mechanisms intrinsic to spinal cord networks and gives rise to motor recovery is currently unknown. This review discusses the existence of motor learning mechanisms intrinsic to spinal cord circuits and circuit-level insights on how proprioception might contribute to spinal cord plasticity, adaptability, and learning, in addition to the logic in which proprioception helps to establish an internal motor command to execute motor output using spared circuits after a spinal cord injury.
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Courtine G, Sofroniew MV. Spinal cord repair: advances in biology and technology. Nat Med 2019; 25:898-908. [PMID: 31160817 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-019-0475-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 256] [Impact Index Per Article: 51.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) can face decades with permanent disabilities. Advances in clinical management have decreased morbidity and improved outcomes, but no randomized clinical trial has demonstrated the efficacy of a repair strategy for improving recovery from SCI. Here, we summarize recent advances in biological and engineering strategies to augment neuroplasticity and/or functional recovery in animal models of SCI that are pushing toward clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire Courtine
- Center for Neuroprosthetics and Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Geneva, Switzerland. .,Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland.
| | - Michael V Sofroniew
- Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Guiho T, Azevedo-Coste C, Guiraud D, Delleci C, Capon G, Delgado-Piccoli N, Bauchet L, Vignes JR. Validation of a methodology for neuro-urological and lumbosacral stimulation studies in domestic pigs: a humanlike animal model. J Neurosurg Spine 2019; 30:644-654. [PMID: 30771756 DOI: 10.3171/2018.11.spine18676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 11/02/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) result in loss of movement and sensory feedback, but also organ dysfunction. Nearly all patients with complete SCI lose bladder control and are prone to kidney failure if intermittent catheterization is not performed. Electrical stimulation of sacral spinal roots was initially considered to be a promising approach for restoring continence and micturition control, but many patients are discouraged by the need for surgical deafferentation as it could lead to a loss of sensory functions and reflexes. Nevertheless, recent research findings highlight the renewed interest in spinal cord stimulation (SCS). It is thought that synergic recruitment of spinal fibers could be achieved by stimulating the spinal neural networks involved in regulating physiological processes. Paradoxically, most of these recent studies focused on locomotor issues, while few addressed visceral dysfunction. This could at least partially be attributed to the lack of methodological tools. In this study, the authors aim to fill this gap by presenting a comprehensive method for investigating the potential of SCS to restore visceral functions in domestic pigs, a large-animal model considered to be a close approximation to humans. METHODS This methodology was tested in 7 female pigs (Landrace pig breed, 45-60 kg, 4 months old) during acute experiments. A combination of morphine and propofol was used for anesthesia when transurethral catheterization and lumbosacral laminectomy (L4-S4) were performed. At the end of the operation, spinal root stimulation (L6-S5) and urodynamic recordings were performed to compare the evoked responses with those observed intraoperatively in humans. RESULTS Nervous excitability was preserved despite long-term anesthesia (mean 8.43 ± 1.5 hours). Transurethral catheterization and conventional laminectomy were possible while motor responses (gluteus muscle monitoring) were unaffected throughout the procedure. Consistent detrusor (approximately 25 cm H2O) and sphincter responses were obtained, whereas spinal root stimulation elicited detrusor and external urethral sphincter co-contractions similar to those observed intraoperatively in humans. CONCLUSIONS Pigs represent an ideal model for SCS studies aimed at visceral function investigation and restoration because of the close similarities between female domestic pigs and humans, both in terms of anatomical structure and experimental techniques implemented. This article provides methodological keys for conducting experiments with equipment routinely used in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Guiho
- 1University of Montpellier, INRIA, Montpellier, Occitanie, France
- 2University of Newcastle, Institute of Neuroscience, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, United Kingdom
| | | | - David Guiraud
- 1University of Montpellier, INRIA, Montpellier, Occitanie, France
| | | | | | | | - Luc Bauchet
- 6Department of Neurosurgery, Montpellier University Medical Center, National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), U1051, Hôpital Gui de Chauliac, Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire, Montpellier, France
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Spinal Cord Epidural Stimulation for Lower Limb Motor Function Recovery in Individuals with Motor Complete Spinal Cord Injury. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am 2019; 30:337-354. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pmr.2018.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Teng YD. Functional Multipotency of Stem Cells and Recovery Neurobiology of Injured Spinal Cords. Cell Transplant 2019; 28:451-459. [PMID: 31134830 PMCID: PMC6628559 DOI: 10.1177/0963689719850088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
This invited concise review was written for the special issue of Cell Transplantation to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair (ASNTR). I aimed to present a succinct summary of two interweaved lines of research work carried out by my team members and collaborators over the past decade. Since the middle of the 20th century, biomedical research has been driven overwhelmingly by molecular technology-based focal endeavors. Our investigative undertakings, however, were orchestrated to define and propose novel theoretical frameworks to enhance the field's ability to overcome complex neurological disorders. The effort has engendered two important academic concepts: Functional Multipotency of Stem Cells, and Recovery Neurobiology of Injured Spinal Cords. Establishing these theories was facilitated by academic insight gleaned from stem cell-based multimodal cross-examination studies using tactics of material science, systems neurobiology, glial biology, and neural oncology. It should be emphasized that the collegial environment cultivated by the mission of the ASNTR greatly promoted the efficacy of inter-laboratory collaborations. Notably, our findings have shed new light on fundamentals of stem cell biology and adult mammalian spinal cord neurobiology. Moreover, the novel academic leads have enabled determination of potential therapeutic targets to restore function for spinal cord injury and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang D. Teng
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical
School/Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Network, Charlestown, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Harvard Medical School/Brigham and Women’s
Hospital, Boston, USA
- Division of SCI Research, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston,
USA
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Hawkins BE, Huie JR, Almeida C, Chen J, Ferguson AR. Data Dissemination: Shortening the Long Tail of Traumatic Brain Injury Dark Data. J Neurotrauma 2019; 37:2414-2423. [PMID: 30794049 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2018.6192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Translation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) research findings from bench to bedside involves aligning multi-species data across diverse data types including imaging and molecular biomarkers, histopathology, behavior, and functional outcomes. In this review we argue that TBI translation should be acknowledged for what it is: a problem of big data that can be addressed using modern data science approaches. We review the history of the term big data, tracing its origins in Internet technology as data that are "big" according to the "4Vs" of volume, velocity, variety, veracity and discuss how the term has transitioned into the mainstream of biomedical research. We argue that the problem of TBI translation fundamentally centers around data variety and that solutions to this problem can be found in modern machine learning and other cutting-edge analytical approaches. Throughout our discussion we highlight the need to pull data from diverse sources including unpublished data ("dark data") and "long-tail data" (small, specialty TBI datasets undergirding the published literature). We review a few early examples of published articles in both the pre-clinical and clinical TBI research literature to demonstrate how data reuse can drive new discoveries leading into translational therapies. Making TBI data resources more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) through better data stewardship has great potential to accelerate discovery and translation for the silent epidemic of TBI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridget E Hawkins
- The Moody Project for Translational Traumatic Brain Injury Research, Department of Anesthesiology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
| | - J Russell Huie
- Weill Institutes for Neurosciences, Brain and Spinal Injury Center, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Carlos Almeida
- Weill Institutes for Neurosciences, Brain and Spinal Injury Center, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Jiapei Chen
- Weill Institutes for Neurosciences, Brain and Spinal Injury Center, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Adam R Ferguson
- Weill Institutes for Neurosciences, Brain and Spinal Injury Center, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.,San Francisco Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SFVAHCS), San Francisco, California, USA
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David G, Seif M, Huber E, Hupp M, Rosner J, Dietz V, Weiskopf N, Mohammadi S, Freund P. In vivo evidence of remote neural degeneration in the lumbar enlargement after cervical injury. Neurology 2019; 92:e1367-e1377. [PMID: 30770423 PMCID: PMC6511094 DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000007137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/07/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To characterize remote secondary neurodegeneration of spinal tracts and neurons below a cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) and its relation to the severity of injury, the integrity of efferent and afferent pathways, and clinical impairment. METHODS A comprehensive high-resolution MRI protocol was acquired in 17 traumatic cervical SCI patients and 14 controls at 3T. At the cervical lesion, a sagittal T2-weighted scan provided information on the width of preserved midsagittal tissue bridges. In the lumbar enlargement, high-resolution T2*-weighted and diffusion-weighted scans were used to calculate tissue-specific cross-sectional areas and diffusion indices, respectively. Regression analyses determined associations between MRI readouts and the electrophysiologic and clinical measures. RESULTS At the cervical injury level, preserved midsagittal tissue bridges were present in the majority of patients. In the lumbar enlargement, neurodegeneration-in terms of macrostructural and microstructural MRI changes-was evident in the white matter and ventral and dorsal horns. Patients with thinner midsagittal tissue bridges had smaller ventral horn area, higher radial diffusivity in the gray matter, smaller motor evoked potential amplitude from the lower extremities, and lower motor score. In addition, smaller width of midsagittal tissue bridges was also associated with smaller tibialis sensory evoked potential amplitude and lower light-touch score. CONCLUSIONS This study shows extensive tissue-specific cord pathology in infralesional spinal networks following cervical SCI, its magnitude relating to lesion severity, electrophysiologic integrity, and clinical impairment of the lower extremity. The clinical eloquence of remote neurodegenerative changes speaks to the application of neuroimaging biomarkers in diagnostic workup and planning of clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gergely David
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist (G.D., M.S., E.H., M.H., J.R., V.D., P.F.), University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging (N.W., S.M., P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (M.S., N.W., P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; and Department of Systems Neuroscience (S.M.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Maryam Seif
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist (G.D., M.S., E.H., M.H., J.R., V.D., P.F.), University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging (N.W., S.M., P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (M.S., N.W., P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; and Department of Systems Neuroscience (S.M.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Eveline Huber
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist (G.D., M.S., E.H., M.H., J.R., V.D., P.F.), University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging (N.W., S.M., P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (M.S., N.W., P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; and Department of Systems Neuroscience (S.M.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Markus Hupp
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist (G.D., M.S., E.H., M.H., J.R., V.D., P.F.), University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging (N.W., S.M., P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (M.S., N.W., P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; and Department of Systems Neuroscience (S.M.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Rosner
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist (G.D., M.S., E.H., M.H., J.R., V.D., P.F.), University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging (N.W., S.M., P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (M.S., N.W., P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; and Department of Systems Neuroscience (S.M.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Volker Dietz
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist (G.D., M.S., E.H., M.H., J.R., V.D., P.F.), University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging (N.W., S.M., P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (M.S., N.W., P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; and Department of Systems Neuroscience (S.M.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nikolaus Weiskopf
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist (G.D., M.S., E.H., M.H., J.R., V.D., P.F.), University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging (N.W., S.M., P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (M.S., N.W., P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; and Department of Systems Neuroscience (S.M.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Siawoosh Mohammadi
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist (G.D., M.S., E.H., M.H., J.R., V.D., P.F.), University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging (N.W., S.M., P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (M.S., N.W., P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; and Department of Systems Neuroscience (S.M.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Patrick Freund
- From the Spinal Cord Injury Center Balgrist (G.D., M.S., E.H., M.H., J.R., V.D., P.F.), University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Switzerland; Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging (N.W., S.M., P.F.), UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK; Department of Neurophysics (M.S., N.W., P.F.), Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig; and Department of Systems Neuroscience (S.M.), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
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Calvert JS, Grahn PJ, Zhao KD, Lee KH. Emergence of Epidural Electrical Stimulation to Facilitate Sensorimotor Network Functionality After Spinal Cord Injury. Neuromodulation 2019; 22:244-252. [PMID: 30840354 DOI: 10.1111/ner.12938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/19/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts signaling pathways between the brain and spinal networks below the level of injury. In cases of severe SCI, permanent loss of sensorimotor and autonomic function can occur. The standard of care for severe SCI uses compensation strategies to maximize independence during activities of daily living while living with chronic SCI-related dysfunctions. Over the past several years, the research field of spinal neuromodulation has generated promising results that hold potential to enable recovery of functions via epidural electrical stimulation (EES). METHODS This review provides a historical account of the translational research efforts that led to the emergence of EES of the spinal cord to enable intentional control of motor functions that were lost after SCI. We also highlight the major limitations associated with EES after SCI and propose future directions of spinal neuromodulation research. RESULTS Multiple, independent studies have demonstrated return of motor function via EES in individuals with chronic SCI. These enabled motor functions include intentional, controlled movement of previously paralyzed extremities, independent standing and stepping, and increased grip strength. In addition, improvements in cardiovascular health, respiratory function, body composition, and urologic function have been reported. CONCLUSIONS EES holds promise to enable functions thought to be permanently lost due to SCI. However, EES is currently restricted to scientific investigation in humans with SCI and requires further validation of factors such as safety and efficacy before clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Peter J Grahn
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Rochester, MN, USA.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Medicine Research Center, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Kristin D Zhao
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Medicine Research Center, Rochester, MN, USA.,Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Kendall H Lee
- Department of Neurologic Surgery, Rochester, MN, USA.,Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Medicine Research Center, Rochester, MN, USA.,Department of Physiology and Biomedical Engineering, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
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Elevated Serum Melatonin under Constant Darkness Enhances Neural Repair in Spinal Cord Injury through Regulation of Circadian Clock Proteins Expression. J Clin Med 2019; 8:jcm8020135. [PMID: 30678072 PMCID: PMC6406284 DOI: 10.3390/jcm8020135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/20/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the effects of environmental lighting conditions regulating endogenous melatonin production on neural repair, following experimental spinal cord injury (SCI). Rats were divided into three groups randomly: the SCI + L/D (12/12-h light/dark), SCI + LL (24-h constant light), and SCI + DD (24-h constant dark) groups. Controlled light/dark cycle was pre-applied 2 weeks before induction of spinal cord injury. There was a significant increase in motor recovery as well as body weight from postoperative day (POD) 7 under constant darkness. However, spontaneous elevation of endogenous melatonin in cerebrospinal fluid was seen at POD 3 in all of the SCI rats, which was enhanced in SCI + DD group. Augmented melatonin concentration under constant dark condition resulted in facilitation of neuronal differentiation as well as inhibition of primary cell death. In the rostrocaudal region, elevated endogenous melatonin concentration promoted neural remodeling in acute phase including oligodendrogenesis, excitatory synaptic formation, and axonal outgrowth. The changes were mediated via NAS-TrkB-AKT/ERK signal transduction co-regulated by the circadian clock mechanism, leading to rapid motor recovery. In contrast, exposure to constant light exacerbated the inflammatory responses and neuroglial loss. These results suggest that light/dark control in the acute phase might be a considerable environmental factor for a favorable prognosis after SCI.
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46
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Rapid and robust restoration of breathing long after spinal cord injury. Nat Commun 2018; 9:4843. [PMID: 30482901 PMCID: PMC6258702 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06937-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
There exists an abundance of barriers that hinder functional recovery following spinal cord injury, especially at chronic stages. Here, we examine the rescue of breathing up to 1.5 years following cervical hemisection in the rat. In spite of complete hemidiaphragm paralysis, a single injection of chondroitinase ABC in the phrenic motor pool restored robust and persistent diaphragm function while improving neuromuscular junction anatomy. This treatment strategy was more effective when applied chronically than when assessed acutely after injury. The addition of intermittent hypoxia conditioning further strengthened the ventilatory response. However, in a sub-population of animals, this combination treatment caused excess serotonergic (5HT) axon sprouting leading to aberrant tonic activity in the diaphragm that could be mitigated via 5HT2 receptor blockade. Through unmasking of the continuing neuroplasticity that develops after injury, our treatment strategy ensured rapid and robust patterned respiratory recovery after a near lifetime of paralysis. Respiratory failure is one of the leading causes of death following spinal cord injury and it is unclear if normal respiratory motor activity can be recovered after chronic injury-induced paralysis. Here, authors show that treatment with chondroitinase ABC induces robust rescue of breathing up to 1.5 years following complete hemidiaphragm paralysis.
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47
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Ievins A, Moritz CT. Therapeutic Stimulation for Restoration of Function After Spinal Cord Injury. Physiology (Bethesda) 2018; 32:391-398. [PMID: 28814499 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00010.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2017] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Paralysis due to spinal cord injury can severely limit motor function and independence. This review summarizes different approaches to electrical stimulation of the spinal cord designed to restore motor function, with a brief discussion of their origins and the current understanding of their mechanisms of action. Spinal stimulation leads to impressive improvements in motor function along with some benefits to autonomic functions such as bladder control. Nonetheless, the precise mechanisms underlying these improvements and the optimal spinal stimulation approaches for restoration of motor function are largely unknown. Finally, spinal stimulation may augment other therapies that address the molecular and cellular environment of the injured spinal cord. The fact that several stimulation approaches are now leading to substantial and durable improvements in function following spinal cord injury provides a new perspectives on the previously "incurable" condition of paralysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiva Ievins
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.,Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.,Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering, Seattle, Washington
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48
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Functional Recovery of a Locomotor Network after Injury: Plasticity beyond the Central Nervous System. eNeuro 2018; 5:eN-NWR-0195-18. [PMID: 30073189 PMCID: PMC6071192 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0195-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Revised: 06/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals depend on descending information from the brain for the initiation and proper execution of locomotion. Interestingly, after injury and the loss of such inputs, locomotor function can sometimes be regained without the regrowth of central connections. In the medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana, we have shown that crawling reemerges after removal of descending inputs. Here, we studied the mechanisms underlying this return of locomotion by asking if central pattern generators (CPGs) in crawl-recovered leeches are sufficient to produce crawl-specific intersegmental coordination. From recovered animals, we treated isolated chains of ganglia with dopamine to activate the crawl CPGs (one crawl CPG per ganglion) and observed fictive crawl-like bursting in the dorsal-longitudinal-excitor motoneuron (DE-3), an established crawl-monitor neuron. However, these preparations did not exhibit crawl-specific coordination across the CPGs. Although the crawl CPGs always generated bidirectional activation of adjacent CPGs, we never observed crawl-appropriate intersegmental phase delays. Because central circuits alone were unable to organize crawl-specific coordination, we tested the coordinating role of the peripheral nervous system. In transected leeches normally destined for recovery, we removed afferent information to the anterior-most (lead) ganglion located below the nerve-cord transection site. In these dually treated animals, overt crawling was greatly delayed or prevented. After filling the peripheral nerves with Neurobiotin tracer distal to the nerve-root lesion, we found a perfect correlation between regrowth of peripheral neuronal fibers and crawl recovery. Our study establishes that during recovery after injury, crawl-specific intersegmental coordination switches to a new dependence on afferent information.
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Gassert R, Dietz V. Rehabilitation robots for the treatment of sensorimotor deficits: a neurophysiological perspective. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2018; 15:46. [PMID: 29866106 PMCID: PMC5987585 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-018-0383-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The past decades have seen rapid and vast developments of robots for the rehabilitation of sensorimotor deficits after damage to the central nervous system (CNS). Many of these innovations were technology-driven, limiting their clinical application and impact. Yet, rehabilitation robots should be designed on the basis of neurophysiological insights underlying normal and impaired sensorimotor functions, which requires interdisciplinary collaboration and background knowledge. Recovery of sensorimotor function after CNS damage is based on the exploitation of neuroplasticity, with a focus on the rehabilitation of movements needed for self-independence. This requires a physiological limb muscle activation that can be achieved through functional arm/hand and leg movement exercises and the activation of appropriate peripheral receptors. Such considerations have already led to the development of innovative rehabilitation robots with advanced interaction control schemes and the use of integrated sensors to continuously monitor and adapt the support to the actual state of patients, but many challenges remain. For a positive impact on outcome of function, rehabilitation approaches should be based on neurophysiological and clinical insights, keeping in mind that recovery of function is limited. Consequently, the design of rehabilitation robots requires a combination of specialized engineering and neurophysiological knowledge. When appropriately applied, robot-assisted therapy can provide a number of advantages over conventional approaches, including a standardized training environment, adaptable support and the ability to increase therapy intensity and dose, while reducing the physical burden on therapists. Rehabilitation robots are thus an ideal means to complement conventional therapy in the clinic, and bear great potential for continued therapy and assistance at home using simpler devices. This review summarizes the evolution of the field of rehabilitation robotics, as well as the current state of clinical evidence. It highlights fundamental neurophysiological factors influencing the recovery of sensorimotor function after a stroke or spinal cord injury, and discusses their implications for the development of effective rehabilitation robots. It thus provides insights on essential neurophysiological mechanisms to be considered for a successful development and clinical inclusion of robots in rehabilitation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger Gassert
- Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Volker Dietz
- Spinal Cord Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital, 8008, Zurich, Switzerland
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50
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Schrafl-Altermatt M, Dietz V, Bolliger M. Effect of Locomotor Training on Exhaustion of Leg Muscle Activity in Chronic Complete Spinal Cord Injury. J Neurotrauma 2017; 34:2375-2378. [PMID: 27736315 DOI: 10.1089/neu.2016.4627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a continuous locomotor training on leg muscle electromyographic (EMG) exhaustion during assisted stepping movements in a patient with motor complete spinal cord injury (SCI). EMG exhaustion and loss of potentials starts to develop in untrained patients at ∼6 months after injury. In the trained patient examined in this study, exhaustion was also observed but occurred with a delay of several months. In contrast to an untrained patient, no more EMG exhaustion was observed in the very chronic stage. At this time (12 years after injury) a basic locomotor pattern of leg muscle activity of reduced amplitude could still be elicited, but it was resistant to exhaustion and unchanged in amplitude after 12 min of assisted stepping. It is suggested that fatigue-resistant motor units prevail at this stage and can still be activated during stepping as a result of the training.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Volker Dietz
- Spinal Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital , Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Marc Bolliger
- Spinal Injury Center, Balgrist University Hospital , Zürich, Switzerland
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