Dissertation
Kinematics of locomotion in the neonatally spinalized rat
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Aug 2019
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/a0bw-c011
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a traumatic injury that disrupts motor control below the injury segmental level and the flow of sensory information from areas of the body below the injury to the brain. Restoring function after injury is a multifaceted problem involving treating the immunological, gene expression, neural control and anatomical aspects of the injury. Research aimed at restoring motor control after SCI often involves a locomotor training component aimed at reactivating silenced circuits and retraining the spinal cords response to sensory stimuli. In animals that are spinal cord injured as neonates (NTX) there is significant motor recovery without therapeutic intervention. Behavioral outcomes in untrained NTX animals range from uncoordinated limb movements to coordinated weight-supported stepping without therapeutic intervention. ~20% of neonatal injured rats can weight support without intervention. Following pelvis-based robot rehabilitative training, a further 20-30% of animals, that were previously unable to weight-support are able to take weight-supported steps while connected to the robotic system. Understanding how these NTX animals change their locomotor strategy and how circuits below the lesion are engaged as a result of the training could be used to target future rehabilitative strategies. We hypothesize that successful locomotor training influences pelvic rotation during walking to provide stability and this expands the task-space of the limb during walking. We expect that the interaction between spinally-controlled limb and cortically-controlled trunk/pelvis is necessary for the development of weight-supported stepping in the NTX rat. We believe this to be associated with changes in spinal cord excitability, which may be mediated by changes in expression of KCC2. Our findings highlight the importance of learned and plastic pelvic control via trunk musculature in rehabilitation of locomotion after neonatal SCI.
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Details
- Title
- Kinematics of locomotion in the neonatally spinalized rat
- Creators
- Josephine L. VanLoozen - DU
- Contributors
- Simon F. Giszter (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)Kimberly J. Dougherty (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xi, 145 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Medicine; Neurology; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 9642; 991014632546804721