Acute neuromodulation restores spinally-induced motor responses after severe spinal cord injury

Giuliano Taccola; Parag Gad; Stanislav Culaclii; Po-Min Wang; Wentai Liu; V Reggie Edgerton

doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113246

Acute neuromodulation restores spinally-induced motor responses after severe spinal cord injury

Exp Neurol. 2020 May:327:113246. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113246. Epub 2020 Feb 11.

Authors

Giuliano Taccola¹, Parag Gad², Stanislav Culaclii³, Po-Min Wang³, Wentai Liu⁴, V Reggie Edgerton⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Neuroscience Department, International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA), Bonomea 265, Trieste, Italy. Electronic address: taccola@sissa.it.
² Department of Neurobiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
³ Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
⁴ Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), University of California at Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California at Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
⁵ Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Neurobiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; University of Technology, Sydney, Australia; Institut Guttmann. Hospital de Neurorehabilitació, Institut Universitari adscrit a la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, 08916 Badalona, Spain. Electronic address: vre@ucla.edu.

PMID: 32057795
DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113246

Abstract

Epidural electrical spinal stimulation can facilitate recovery of volitional motor control in individuals that have been completely paralyzed for more than a year. We recently reported a novel neuromodulation method named Dynamic Stimulation (DS), which short-lastingly increased spinal excitability and generated a robust modulation of locomotor networks in fully-anesthetized intact adult rats. In the present study, we applied repetitive DS patterns to four lumbosacral segments acutely after a contusive injury at lumbar level. Repetitive DS delivery restored the spinally-evoked motor EMG responses that were previously suppressed by a calibrated spinal cord contusion. Sham experiments without DS delivery did not allow any spontaneous recovery. Thus, DS uniquely provides the potential for a greater long-term functional recovery after paralysis.

Keywords: Asynchronous noisy stimulation; Epidural interface; Multi-electrode array; Neuromodulation; Spinal contusion; Spinal reflexes.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Electromyography
Evoked Potentials, Motor / physiology*
Female
Lumbar Vertebrae
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Recovery of Function / physiology
Spinal Cord / physiopathology*
Spinal Cord Injuries / physiopathology
Spinal Cord Injuries / therapy*
Spinal Cord Stimulation / methods*

Grants and funding

U01 EB007615/EB/NIBIB NIH HHS/United States