Journal
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 26, Issue 48, Pages 12537-12543Publisher
SOC NEUROSCIENCE
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2198-06.2006
Keywords
H-reflex conditioning; spinal cord plasticity; motor control; spinal cord injury; locomotion; rehabilitation; learning; memory
Categories
Funding
- NICHD NIH HHS [R01 HD036020, HD36020] Funding Source: Medline
- NINDS NIH HHS [R01 NS022189, NS37321, NS22189] Funding Source: Medline
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This study asked whether operant conditioning of the H-reflex can modify locomotion in spinal cord-injured rats. Midthoracic transection of the right lateral column of the spinal cord produced a persistent asymmetry in the muscle activity underlying treadmill locomotion. The rats were then either exposed or not exposed to an H-reflex up-conditioning protocol that greatly increased right soleus motoneuron response to primary afferent input, and locomotion was reevaluated. H-reflex up-conditioning increased the right soleus burst and corrected the locomotor asymmetry. In contrast, the locomotor asymmetry persisted in the control rats. These results suggest that appropriately selected reflex conditioning protocols might improve function in people with partial spinal cord injuries. Such protocols might be especially useful when significant regeneration becomes possible and precise methods for reeducating the regenerated spinal cord neurons and synapses are needed for restoring effective function.
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