Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
Restor Neurol Neurosci. 2011;29(4):275-86. doi: 10.3233/RNN-2011-598.
Using the horizontal ladder task, we examined some issues that need to be resolved before task-specific rehabilitative training can be employed clinically for the frequent contusive spinal cord injury (SCI). We hypothesized that improving recovery in task performance after contusive thoracic SCI requires frequent re-training and initiating the re-training early during spontaneous recovery.
Contusive SCI was produced at the adult female Sprague Dawley rat T10 vertebra. Task re-training was initiated one week later when occasional weight-supported plantar steps were taken overground (n = 8). It consisted of 2 repetitions each day, 5 days each week, for 3 weeks. Task performance and overground locomotion were assessed weekly. Neurotransmission through the SCI ventrolateral funiculus was examined. SCI morphometry was determined.
Re-training did not improve task performance recovery compared to untrained Controls (n = 7). Untrained overground locomotion and neurotransmission through the SCI did not change. Lesion area at the injury epicenter as a percentage of the total spinal cord area as well as total tissue, lesion, and spared tissue, white matter, or gray matter volumes did not differ.
For the horizontal ladder task after contusive thoracic SCI, earlier re-training sessions with more repetitions and critical neural circuitry may be necessary to engender a rehabilitation effect.
使用水平梯任务，我们研究了一些在临床上针对频繁的挫伤性脊髓损伤（SCI）进行特定任务康复训练之前需要解决的问题。我们假设，要改善挫伤性胸 SCI 后任务表现的恢复，需要频繁的再训练，并在自发恢复期间尽早开始再训练。
在成年雌性 Sprague Dawley 大鼠的 T10 椎骨处产生挫伤性 SCI。当偶尔能在地面上承受体重的负重性足底步时（n = 8），就开始进行任务再训练。它包括每天重复 2 次，每周重复 5 天，持续 3 周。每周评估任务表现和地面运动。检查 SCI 腹外侧束中的神经传递。确定 SCI 的形态计量学。
与未经训练的对照组（n = 7）相比，再训练并没有改善任务表现的恢复。未经训练的地面运动和 SCI 中的神经传递没有变化。损伤中心处的损伤面积占脊髓总区域的百分比，以及总组织、损伤和保留组织、白质或灰质的体积均无差异。
对于挫伤性胸 SCI 后的水平梯任务，可能需要更早的、更多重复的训练和关键的神经回路，才能产生康复效果。
