Abstract
Background Intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS) is a novel electrical stimulation technique that has demonstrated mobility restoration in animals with spinal cord injury (SCI). This project investigated: 1) the capacity of ISMS to restore functional walking in rats with SCI through 4 weeks of stimulation, and 2) the degree of walking deficit caused by ISMS surgery. Methods Thirteen Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups: 1) rats with hemi-section SCI (hSCI) and no implants (control group), 2) rats with hSCI and passive ISMS implants (ISMS sham group), and 3) rats with hSCI and implants with active electrical stimulation (ISMS group). All groups were trained to walk on a horizontal ladder and their performance was quantified pre- and post-surgery. Results We hypothesized that the rats with active ISMS implants would demonstrate the greatest improvement in functional walking compared to both control groups, and that the ISMS sham group would underperform the most. The preoperative functional walking scores of control, sham and ISMS rats were 5.7±0.2, 5.5±0.3 and 5.7±0.1, respectively (7-point scale; mean ± standard error). The post-surgery scores were 3.2±0.9, 2.6±0.6 and 3.3±0.8 for control, sham, and ISMS rats, respectively. Conclusions As the difference between the post-surgery functional walking scores of ISMS and control rats was not statistically significant, this may indicate that four weeks of ISMS stimulation is not enough to cause rehabilitative effects. Additionally, the ISMS sham group demonstrated impaired functional walking compared to the hSCI control group as predicted. Future studies will employ a larger sample size to fully elucidate this trend and utilize thinner microwires to mitigate cellular damage.
Highlights
1 | INTRODUCTION Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating neurological trauma that commonly results in paralysis and secondary complications including spasticity, bladder dysfunction, respiratory complications, and muscular atrophy (Bamford et al, 2017)
The extent of cellular damage caused by microelectrode implantation in the spinal cord and the impact this may have on lasting mobility following SCI remains unknown. These are important questions to investigate as human patients with SCI may decide to cease Intraspinal microstimulation (ISMS) following a temporary period of active stimulation or utilize ISMS in an intermittent fashion. This project investigated: 1) the capacity of ISMS to restore functional walking in rats with SCI through four weeks of stimulation, and 2) the degree of walking deficit caused by ISMS surgery
2 | METHODS Pre-Operational Thirteen Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: 1) rats with hemi-section SCI and no implants, 2) rats with hSCI and passive ISMS implants (ISMS sham group), and 3) rats with hSCI and active
Summary
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating neurological trauma that commonly results in paralysis and secondary complications including spasticity, bladder dysfunction, respiratory complications, and muscular atrophy (Bamford et al, 2017). Lee et al Neuroregenerative Effects of ISMS (New & Marshall, 2013) To put this into perspective, in Canada, depending on whether the patient is living with paraplegia (paralysis of the legs) or tetraplegia (paralysis of the legs and arms), the lifetime cost of care of a 25-year-old can range from $1.5 million to $3.0 million (Krueger et al, 2013). This is an especially challenging circumstance as anyone can suddenly end up with this condition; the most common causes of spinal cord injury are automobile crashes and traumatic falls (Chen et al, 2013). This project investigated: 1) the capacity of ISMS to restore functional walking in rats with SCI through 4 weeks of stimulation, and 2) the degree of walking deficit caused by ISMS surgery
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
