Effects of tail nerve electrical stimulation on the activation and plasticity of the lumbar locomotor circuits and the prevention of skeletal muscle atrophy after spinal cord transection in rats

Severe spinal cord injury leads to nerve cell loss below the injury and muscle atrophy in paralyzed limbs, hindering motor recovery. This study uses tail nerve electrical stimulation (TNES) to activate neural circuits below the injury, aiming to understand how excitatory neurons help rebuild motor function. The results suggest TNES can improve nerve connections, stem cell count, and muscle metabolism in hindlimbs, potentially aiding in restoring voluntary movement.

• 1
  TNES activates motor neural circuits in the lumbosacral spinal cord, affecting muscle excitability in the hindlimbs via afferent nerve transmission.
• 2
  TNES significantly alleviates muscle atrophy in the hindlimbs, as evidenced by increased wet weights and cross-sectional area of myofibers.
• 3
  TNES promotes the survival of spinal cord neurons, particularly in the L1 dorsal nucleus and L4 anterolateral horn, and increases activation of neural circuits in the lumbar spinal cord.