Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroregeneration, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, USA.
University of Houston, Houston, USA.
Sci Rep. 2021 Jul 21;11(1):14900. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-94047-1.
Electrical stimulation of the cervical spinal cord is gaining traction as a therapy following spinal cord injury; however, it is difficult to target the cervical motor region in a rodent using a non-penetrating stimulus compared with direct placement of intraspinal wire electrodes. Penetrating wire electrodes have been explored in rodent and pig models and, while they have proven beneficial in the injured spinal cord, the negative aspects of spinal parenchymal penetration (e.g., gliosis, neural tissue damage, and obdurate inflammation) are of concern when considering therapeutic potential. We therefore designed a novel approach for epidural stimulation of the rat spinal cord using a wireless stimulation system and ventral electrode array. Our approach allowed for preservation of mobility following surgery and was suitable for long term stimulation strategies in awake, freely functioning animals. Further, electrophysiology mapping of the ventral spinal cord revealed the ventral approach was suitable to target muscle groups of the rat forelimb and, at a single electrode lead position, different stimulation protocols could be applied to achieve unique activation patterns of the muscles of the forelimb.
脊髓电刺激作为脊髓损伤后的一种治疗方法正在受到关注；然而，与直接放置脊髓内金属丝电极相比，使用非穿透性刺激来靶向啮齿动物的颈脊髓运动区较为困难。穿透性金属丝电极已经在啮齿动物和猪模型中进行了探索，虽然它们在受伤的脊髓中被证明是有益的，但当考虑治疗潜力时，脊髓实质穿透的负面方面（例如，神经胶质增生、神经组织损伤和顽固的炎症）令人担忧。因此，我们设计了一种使用无线刺激系统和腹侧电极阵列对大鼠脊髓进行硬膜外刺激的新方法。我们的方法允许在手术后保持运动能力，并且适合于清醒、自由活动的动物进行长期刺激策略。此外，对脊髓腹侧进行电生理学映射表明，腹侧方法适用于靶向大鼠前肢的肌肉群，并且在单个电极导联位置，可以应用不同的刺激方案来实现前肢肌肉的独特激活模式。
