Sensorimotor plasticity after spinal cord injury: a longitudinal and translational study

Abstract

ObjectiveThe objective was to track and compare the progression of neuroplastic changes in a large animal model and humans with spinal cord injury.MethodsA total of 37 individuals with acute traumatic spinal cord injury were followed over time (1, 3, 6, and 12 months post‐injury) with repeated neurophysiological assessments. Somatosensory and motor evoked potentials were recorded in the upper extremities above the level of injury. In a reverse‐translational approach, similar neurophysiological techniques were examined in a porcine model of thoracic spinal cord injury. Twelve Yucatan mini‐pigs underwent a contusive spinal cord injury at T10 and tracked with somatosensory and motor evoked potentials assessments in the fore‐ and hind limbs pre‐ (baseline, post‐laminectomy) and post‐injury (10 min, 3 h, 12 weeks).ResultsIn both humans and pigs, the sensory responses in the cranial coordinates of upper extremities/forelimbs progressively increased from immediately post‐injury to later time points. Motor responses in the forelimbs increased immediately after experimental injury in pigs, remaining elevated at 12 weeks. In humans, motor evoked potentials were significantly higher at 1‐month (and remained so at 1 year) compared to normative values.ConclusionsDespite notable differences between experimental models and the human condition, the brain's response to spinal cord injury is remarkably similar between humans and pigs. Our findings further underscore the utility of this large animal model in translational spinal cord injury research.

Effects of repetitive magnetic stimulation on motor function and GAP43 and 5-HT expression in rats with spinal cord injury

“…Since the theory of spinal cord plasticity was proposed, it has become an important direction of SCI treatment. 6 In recent decades, magnetic stimulation (MS) technology has gradually attracted wide attention from researchers and clinicians because of its safety and effectiveness. Studies have shown that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) can change the excitability and accelerate regeneration of nerve cells, induce axon regeneration and lateral bud growth, enhance remodeling of the nervous system, and promote motor function recovery.…”

Regenerated Interneurons Integrate Into Locomotor Circuitry Following Spinal Cord Injury

“…Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition that leads to loss of motor function due to the severing of axonal connections and the death of neurons at the injury site (Darian-Smith 2009, Jutzeler et al 2019. While functional loss is largely permanent in adult mammals due to an inability to repair damaged tissue, teleost fish and urodele amphibians are able to recover normal locomotor behavior even after complete spinal cord transection (Becker et al 1997, Sirbulescu & Zupanc 2010.…”

Cortical layer‐specific modulation of neuronal activity after sensory deprivation due to spinal cord injury

“…Functional imaging and electrophysiological studies have revealed that CoRe is a physiological phenomenon in which the time elapsed after the injury may be considered a key factor. In this regard, functional changes have been observed immediately after SCI in different animal models as rodents (Aguilar et al 2010;Yagüe et al 2011Yagüe et al , 2014Humanes-Valera et al 2013) and pigs (Jutzeler et al 2018).…”