Neuroplasticity Research

KEY FINDING: Exercise can modify the injury environment, promoting axonal sprouting of local spinal networks and remaining descending axons.

KEY FINDING: Decreased gray matter volume was observed in brain areas associated with motor and somatosensory functions, including the right paracentral lobule (PCL), left dorsal premotor cortex, and left superior parietal lobule (SPL).

KEY FINDING: Spontaneous plasticity of the spared components of the CST is a compensatory mechanism underlying forelimb motor recovery, as opposed to the restoration and/or regeneration of the damaged motor tract.

KEY FINDING: Operant down-conditioning can decrease the soleus H-reflex size in some people after stroke, specifically in 50% of the participants in this study.

KEY FINDING: Neuroplasticity is a key driver of recovery from neurological injury, and understanding how interventions modulate the nervous system can lead to complete neurological healing.

KEY FINDING: Treadmill training initiated very early (within 3 days post-injury) may worsen autonomic function, inflammation, and locomotor outcomes.

KEY FINDING: Biomolecular approaches alone have modest outcomes in SCI treatment.

KEY FINDING: Combining rehabilitation with stem cell-based therapies can improve upper extremity function in cervical SCI, especially when using neuromodulation to activate neural circuits below the injury level.

KEY FINDING: AIH significantly increased maximal voluntary plantar flexion torque (leg strength) at 30 and 60 minutes post-AIH compared to baseline in individuals with chronic incomplete SCI.

KEY FINDING: Cortical reorganization after spinal cord injury is species-dependent, with varying degrees and patterns observed in humans, non-human primates, and rats.