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Published on: February 1, 2018
Effects of exercise on reflexes in paraplegic monkeys
Acta Neurobiologiae Experimentalis
|January 1, 1981
Summary
Exercise can aid spinal cord injury recovery. Early limb exercise in monkeys with spinal cord transection improved muscle tone and reflexes, suggesting afferent influence is key to overcoming spinal shock.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Spinal Cord Injury Research
Background:
- Spinal cord transection causes a loss of function below the injury level, known as spinal shock.
- Understanding factors that promote recovery from spinal shock is crucial for developing effective rehabilitation strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of afferent influences in the recovery of spinal shock following complete spinal cord transection.
- To evaluate the impact of a targeted exercise program on neuromuscular recovery in a primate model.
Main Methods:
- Complete spinal cord transection was performed at the midthoracic level in eight monkeys.
- One hindlimb of each animal underwent a daily exercise program, while the contralateral limb served as a control.
- Muscle tone and active reflexes (cutaneous and proprioceptive) were assessed over an 11 to 36-day observation period.
Main Results:
- The exercised hindlimb demonstrated significantly greater muscle tone compared to the non-exercised limb within 3 days post-transection.
- Active cutaneous and proprioceptive reflexes were more pronounced in the exercised limb.
- These differences progressively increased throughout the study duration.
Conclusions:
- Afferent input, stimulated by exercise, plays a critical role in mitigating and recovering from spinal shock.
- Exercise programs may protect the neuromuscular apparatus from disuse-induced deterioration, thereby maximizing functional recovery potential after spinal cord injury.
