Restorative Neurological Approaches to the Rehabilitation of Individuals with Longstanding Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

Recent advances in understanding the neurobiology of spinal cord injury (SCI) have led to the development of therapeutic approaches enabling restoration of neurological function in SCI patients. This review describes the status of restorative interventions that have already been introduced to clinical practice through clinical trials and other interventions that show promise for ameliorating neurological deficits and restoring functional independence. These approaches include management of central conduction deficits due to traumatic demyelination or channelopathy, strategies that capitalize on the intrinsic plasticity of the neuraxis following trauma, and pharmacotherapy to enhance target organ function, such as in the case of erectile dysfunction.