Fine motor skill training enhances functional plasticity of the corticospinal tract after spinal cord injury

Motor cortex and spinal cord neuromodulation promote corticospinal tract axonal outgrowth and motor recovery after cervical contusion spinal cord injury.

Cervical injuries are the most common form of SCI. In this study, we used a neuromodulatory approach to promote skilled movement recovery and repair of the corticospinal tract (CST) after a moderately severe C4 midline contusion in adult rats. We used bilateral epidural intermittent theta burst (iTBS) electrical stimulation of motor cortex to promote CST axonal sprouting and cathodal trans-spin...

Short hairpin RNA against PTEN enhances regenerative growth of corticospinal tract axons after spinal cord injury.

Developing approaches to promote the regeneration of descending supraspinal axons represents an ideal strategy for rebuilding neuronal circuits to improve functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI). Our previous studies demonstrated that genetic deletion of phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in mouse corticospinal neurons reactivates their regenerative capacity, resulting in signific...

Plasticity of Corticospinal Neural Control after Locomotor Training in Human Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal lesions substantially impair ambulation, occur generally in young and otherwise healthy individuals, and result in devastating effects on quality of life. Restoration of locomotion after damage to the spinal cord is challenging because axons of the damaged neurons do not regenerate spontaneously. Body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) is a therapeutic approach in which a person...

Increases in corticospinal tract function by treadmill training after incomplete spinal cord injury.

In this study, we examined if several months of intensive locomotor training increases the function of spared corticospinal tract pathways after chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) in association with the recovery of locomotor function. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at incrementing levels of intensity was applied over the motor cortex supplying either the tibialis anterior or vastus late...

Locomotion and Motor Neuron Plasticity after Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury