Evidence of axon connectivity across a spinal cord transection in rats treated with epidural stimulation and motor training combined with olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation.

This study explores a combination therapy for spinal cord injuries in rats, using olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs), epidural stimulation, and motor training. OECs, unique glial cells, were transplanted into the injured spinal cords of rats, followed by electrical stimulation and climbing exercises. The research team looked for signs of axon regeneration across the injury site, finding that OEC transplantation, combined with stimulation and training, increased axonal growth.

• 1
  OEC transplantation, combined with epidural stimulation and climb training, facilitated serotonergic- and neurofilament-labeled axon projections into the injury site.
• 2
  One OEC-treated rat showed evidence of axon regeneration, while a fibroblast (FB)-treated rat showed a small area of axon sparing.
• 3
  After injections of pseudorabies virus into hindlimb muscles, labeled V2a propriospinal interneurons were found within and rostral to the transection site in two spinal rats.