Article

Alterations in the function of spinal neuronal circuits underlying
locomotion after a spinal cord injury (SCI) are associated with changes in the
behavior of spinal reflexes (SRs) in both rats and humans. In healthy subjects,
the SR consists of a dominant early reflex component, whereas in chronic,
severely affected SCI subjects, a later component dominates.
The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between SR behavior and walking
ability in para-/tetraplegic subjects. METHOD: The SR was evoked by nonnoxious
tibial nerve stimulation. Walking ability was assessed by functional tests and
questionnaires. RESULTS: There was a correlation between walking ability and SR
behavior in chronic SCI: Severely affected SCI subjects unable to walk showed
dominant late SR components, whereas in ambulatory SCI subjects an early SR
component dominated. A functional training with an improvement of locomotor
ability was accompanied by both a shift from a dominant to a smaller late and the
appearance of an early SR component. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that SR
can serve as a marker for the locomotor ability of SCI subjects. Neuronal
plasticity exploited by a functional training is reflected in both an improvement
of locomotor ability and a change in balance of SR components toward the early SR component.

Langue : ANGLAIS