SENSORIMOTOR REGULATION OF MOVEMENTS: NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR THE RECOVERY OF MOBILITY
Fiziologiia Cheloveka
|May 19, 2016
Summary
New non-invasive spinal cord stimulation and sensory stimulation enable voluntary rhythmic walking in paralyzed individuals. This breakthrough offers hope for restoring motor function after spinal cord injury.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Biomedical Engineering
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Spinal and supraspinal circuits control posture and movement.
- Previous methods like electrical enabling motor control (eEmc), pharmacological modulation (fEmc), and training showed partial success in spinal rats.
- Voluntary movement recovery after paralysis in humans is limited, especially for weight-bearing stepping.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel neuromodulation strategy for the spinal cord.
- To enhance voluntary rhythmic locomotor movements.
Main Methods:
- Development of painless transcutaneous electrical enabling motor control (pcEmc) and sensory enabling motor control (sEmc).
- Combination of non-invasive transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation with sensory-motor stimulation of leg mechanoreceptors.
Main Results:
- The novel strategy effectively modulates spinal locomotor circuitry.
- Voluntary rhythmic locomotor movements were enabled.
Conclusions:
- A combination of non-invasive spinal cord stimulation and sensory stimulation can restore voluntary walking.
- This approach holds promise for treating paralysis and improving mobility.
