Rehabilitation Research

KEY FINDING: Exercise reduces the levels of myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) in the spinal cord, a potent axonal growth inhibitor.

KEY FINDING: USW therapy can increase nerve conductive velocity compared to acellular nerve allografts alone.

KEY FINDING: Locomotor-like activity could be evoked by brainstem stimulation even with staggered spinal cord hemisections that disrupted long direct pathways.

KEY FINDING: Manipulation of a contusion injury site prior to transplantation does not cause long-lasting forelimb or hindlimb behavioral deficits.

KEY FINDING: Treadmill exercise, even in small doses, enhances axon regeneration in the peripheral nervous system.

KEY FINDING: BBB scores in the open field and straight alley were highly correlated (r=0.90), validating the straight alley for locomotor assessment.

KEY FINDING: Plasticity occurs throughout the neuraxis after spinal cord injury, involving alterations in neuronal circuits, axon sprouting, and synaptic rearrangements.

KEY FINDING: Recovery of shoulder and elbow joint movement occurred rapidly within 1–7 days post-injury, whereas recovery of wrist joint movement was slower and more variable.

KEY FINDING: NA axons are present throughout the caudal stump of both media- and OEG-injected spinal rats, entering the spinal cord from the periphery via dorsal and ventral roots and along large penetrating blood vessels.

KEY FINDING: PNG plus αFGF treatment resulted in a clear improvement in locomotor performance with or without step training.