Article

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating condition that affects a large number
of individuals. Historically, the recovery process after an SCI has been slow and
with limited success. Recently, a number of advances have been made in the
strategies used for rehabilitation, resulting in marked improved recovery, even
after a complete SCI. Several rehabilitative interventions, that is, assisted
motor training, spinal cord epidural stimulation, and/or administration of
pharmacologic agents, alone or in combination, have produced remarkable recovery
in motor function in both humans and animals. The success with each of these
interventions appears to be related to the fact that the spinal cord is smart, in
that it can use ensembles of sensory information to generate appropriate motor
responses without input from supraspinal centers, a property commonly referred to
as central pattern generation. This ability of the spinal cord reflects a level
of automaticity, that is, the ability of the neural circuitry of the spinal cord
to interpret complex sensory information and to make appropriate decisions to
generate successful postural and locomotor tasks.
Herein, we provide a brief
review of some of the neurophysiologic rationale for the success of these
interventions.
CI - Copyright (c) 2012 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by
Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS