Spinal cord motor disorders

Spinal cord diseases are frequently devastating due to the precipitous and often permanently debilitating nature of the deficits. Spastic or flaccid paraparesis accompanied by dermatomal and myotomal signatures complementary to the incurred deficits facilitates localization of the insult within the cord. However, laboratory studies often employing disease-specific serology, neuroradiology, neurophysiology, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis aid in the etiologic diagnosis. While many spinal cord diseases are reversible and treatable, especially when recognized early, more than ever, neuroscientists are being called to investigate endogenous mechanisms of neural plasticity. This chapter is a review of the embryology, neuroanatomy, clinical localization, evaluation, and management of adult and childhood spinal cord motor disorders.