Anatomical changes in the somatosensory system after large sensory loss predict strategies to promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury.

Abstract

Among cases of spinal cord injury are injuries involving the dorsal column in the cervical spinal cord that interrupt the major cutaneous afferents from the hand to the cuneate nucleus (Cu) in the brainstem. Deprivation of touch and proprioceptive inputs consequently impair skilled hand use. Although dexterous hand use can be significantly restored in some patients after months of recovery, some patients never fully recover from the injury. Patients also may develop painful and nonpainful phantom sensations (Moore et al., 2000). Such differences in recovery are often attributed, in part, to differences in the level and extent of the injury. However, specific relationships between individual injuries and indicators of recovery require intensive study. Due to the similarities of the nervous system in humans and nonhuman primates, research in monkeys greatly advances the understanding of relationships between injury and plasticity in human brains that contribute to functional recoveries.