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Lecture

Spinal Cord Stimulation: Motor Rehabilitation Benefits

In course

NX-436: Advanced methods for human neuromodulation

Neuromodulation is an expending field especially in human translational neuroscience and neurotechnology. This course will introduce to different approaches / technologies for neuromodulation, their underlying mechanisms of action and application in humans ...

Description

This lecture explores the benefits of spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) on motor rehabilitation in chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, focusing on lower limb and trunk stability. It discusses the activation of central pattern generators, the role of propriospinal networks, and the reshaping of spinal and supraspinal connectivity. The lecture also covers the enhancement of effort and coordination patterns in lower limb muscles, resulting in improved motor function. Additionally, it addresses the restoration of hand and arm function through non-invasive activation of cervical spinal networks. The use of tSCS in both upper and lower limb rehabilitation is highlighted, showcasing its potential in enabling complex motor tasks even years post-injury.

Instructor

Friedhelm Christoph Hummel

Official source

Related concepts (29)

Spinal cord stimulator

A spinal cord stimulator (SCS) or dorsal column stimulator (DCS) is a type of implantable neuromodulation device (sometimes called a "pain pacemaker") that is used to send electrical signals to select areas of the spinal cord (dorsal columns) for the treatment of certain pain conditions. SCS is a consideration for people who have a pain condition that has not responded to more conservative therapy. There are also spinal cord stimulators under research and development that could enable patients with spinal cord injury to walk again via epidural electrical stimulation (EES).

Spinal cord injury

A spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cord below the level of the injury. Injury can occur at any level of the spinal cord and can be complete, with a total loss of sensation and muscle function at lower sacral segments, or incomplete, meaning some nervous signals are able to travel past the injured area of the cord up to the Sacral S4-5 spinal cord segments.

Neurostimulation

Neurostimulation is the purposeful modulation of the nervous system's activity using invasive (e.g. microelectrodes) or non-invasive means (e.g. transcranial magnetic stimulation or transcranial electric stimulation, tES, such as tDCS or transcranial alternating current stimulation, tACS). Neurostimulation usually refers to the electromagnetic approaches to neuromodulation.

Motor control

Motor control is the regulation of movement in organisms that possess a nervous system. Motor control includes reflexes as well as directed movement. To control movement, the nervous system must integrate multimodal sensory information (both from the external world as well as proprioception) and elicit the necessary signals to recruit muscles to carry out a goal. This pathway spans many disciplines, including multisensory integration, signal processing, coordination, biomechanics, and cognition, and the computational challenges are often discussed under the term sensorimotor control.

Spinal cord injury research

Spinal cord injury research seeks new ways to cure or treat spinal cord injury in order to lessen the debilitating effects of the injury in the short or long term. There is no cure for SCI, and current treatments are mostly focused on spinal cord injury rehabilitation and management of the secondary effects of the condition. Two major areas of research include neuroprotection, ways to prevent damage to cells caused by biological processes that take place in the body after the injury, and neuroregeneration, regrowing or replacing damaged neural circuits.

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Covers techniques for restoring motor functions through electrical stimulation, including electrode types and applications, muscle fatigue challenges, and epidural spinal cord stimulation for intentional movement restoration.

Hybrid Neural Models: Introduction and Applications

Covers hybrid neural models for neuroprosthetics, nerve stimulation optimization, and grasping restoration after spinal cord injury.

Cerebellum: Neural Control of Movement

Explores the neural control of movement, focusing on the cerebellum's role in motor learning and coordination.

Brain Anatomy

Covers the divisions of the nervous system, brain structure, cranial nerves, and brain conditions.

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