Article

Spinal cord injury leads to a range of disabilities, including limitations in
locomotor activity, that seriously diminish the patients' autonomy and quality of
life. Electrochemical neuromodulation therapies, robot-assisted rehabilitation
and willpower-based training paradigms restored supraspinal control of locomotion
in rodent models of severe spinal cord injury. This treatment promoted extensive
and ubiquitous remodeling of spared circuits and residual neural pathways. In
four chronic paraplegic individuals, electrical neuromodulation of the spinal
cord resulted in the immediate recovery of voluntary leg movements, suggesting
that the therapeutic concepts developed in rodent models may also apply to
humans. Here, we briefly review previous work, summarize current developments,
and highlight impediments to translate these interventions into medical practice
to improve functional recovery of spinal-cord-injured individuals.
CI - Copyright (c) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Langue : ANGLAIS