Epidural Stimulation Induced Modulation of Spinal Locomotor Networks in Adult Spinal Rats

This study explores how electrical stimulation of the spinal cord can help rats with spinal cord injuries regain the ability to walk. Researchers looked at how the rats' muscles responded to the stimulation at different points in their recovery. They found that the muscle responses changed over time and were related to the rats' ability to step. The timing and strength of these responses were also linked to the phase of the stepping motion. The study suggests that spinal cord stimulation can facilitate locomotion in a time-dependent manner after a spinal cord injury. The stimulation seems to be activating interneuronal circuits that help generate the stepping motion.

• 1
  A progressive and phase-dependent modulation of monosynaptic (middle) and long-latency (late) stimulation-evoked EMG responses was observed throughout the step cycle.
• 2
  The middle- and late-response magnitudes were closely linked to the amplitude and duration of the EMG bursts during locomotion facilitated by epidural stimulation.
• 3
  The optimum stimulation frequency that maintained consistent activity of the long-latency responses ranged from 40 to 60 Hz.