Journal article
Role of Spared Pathways in Locomotor Recovery after Body-Weight-Supported Treadmill Training in Contused Rats
Journal of neurotrauma, v 28(12), pp 245-2416
01 Dec 2011
PMID: 21568686
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT)-related locomotor recovery has been shown in spinalized animals. Only a few animal studies have demonstrated locomotor recovery after BWSTT in an incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI) model, such as contusion injury. The contribution of spared descending pathways after BWSTT to behavioral recovery is unclear. Our goal was to evaluate locomotor recovery in contused rats after BWSTT, and to study the role of spared pathways in spinal plasticity after BWSTT. Forty-eight rats received a contusion, a transection, or a contusion followed at 9 weeks by a second transection injury. Half of the animals in the three injury groups were given BWSTT for up to 8 weeks. Kinematics and the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) test assessed behavioral improvements. Changes in Hoffmann-reflex (H-reflex) rate depression property, soleus muscle mass, and sprouting of primary afferent fibers were also evaluated. BWSTT-contused animals showed accelerated locomotor recovery, improved H-reflex properties, reduced muscle atrophy, and decreased sprouting of small caliber afferent fibers. BBB scores were not improved by BWSTT. Untrained contused rats that received a transection exhibited a decrease in kinematic parameters immediately after the transection; in contrast, trained contused rats did not show an immediate decrease in kinematic parameters after transection. This suggests that BWSTT with spared descending pathways leads to neuroplasticity at the lumbar spinal level that is capable of maintaining locomotor activity. Discontinuing training after the transection in the trained contused rats abolished the improved kinematics within 2 weeks and led to a reversal of the improved H-reflex response, increased muscle atrophy, and an increase in primary afferent fiber sprouting. Thus continued training may be required for maintenance of the recovery. Transected animals had no effect of BWSTT, indicating that in the absence of spared pathways this training paradigm did not improve function.
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Details
- Title
- Role of Spared Pathways in Locomotor Recovery after Body-Weight-Supported Treadmill Training in Contused Rats
- Creators
- Anita Singh - 1Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaSriram Balasubramanian - 2School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaMarion Murray - 1Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaMichel Lemay - 1Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaJohn Houle - 1Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Publication Details
- Journal of neurotrauma, v 28(12), pp 245-2416
- Publisher
- Mary Ann Liebert, Inc
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Neurobiology and Anatomy; School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000298291600001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-83455201127
- Other Identifier
- 991014878283504721
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InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Web of Science research areas
- Clinical Neurology
- Critical Care Medicine
- Neurosciences