Prominent Role of the Spinal Central Pattern Generator in the Recovery of Locomotion after Partial Spinal Cord Injuries

The study investigates how the spinal cord's central pattern generator (CPG) contributes to regaining movement in cats after partial spinal cord injuries (SCI). It uses a dual-lesion approach, first partially injuring the spinal cord and then completely transecting it after a period of recovery. The researchers found that cats who received treadmill training after the partial injury showed immediate hindlimb movement after the complete transection, suggesting the CPG was primed by the training. Untrained cats showed asymmetrical movement, indicating the importance of training in shaping spinal cord plasticity. The findings suggest that while intact descending pathways are important for voluntary movement, the spinal CPG and sensory inputs play a major role in recovering hindlimb locomotion after partial SCI. Locomotor training further enhances this recovery by promoting spinal cord reorganization.

• 1
  Cats with partial SCI that received treadmill training exhibited immediate bilateral hindlimb locomotion after complete spinal cord transection, indicating that the spinal CPG was primed for locomotion.
• 2
  Untrained cats showed asymmetrical hindlimb locomotion after complete spinal cord transection, with the limb on the side of the partial lesion walking better initially.
• 3
  Treadmill training improved spinal locomotion in both trained and untrained cats, demonstrating the ongoing plasticity of the spinal cord even after complete transection.