Restoring the Stepping-Like Movement in Spinal Rat by Electrical Micro-Stimulation of Motor Primitive Blocks

Background: During the last decade, intra-spinal micro-stimulation (ISMS) has been proposed as a potential technique for restoring the motor function in paralyzed limbs. It has been shown that there are functional networks of inter-neurons in the spinal cord (i.e., movement primitive block or motor...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Alireza Asadi, Abbas Erfanian Omidvar
Format: Article
Language:fas
Published: Isfahan University of Medical Sciences 2013-10-01
Series:مجله دانشکده پزشکی اصفهان
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Online Access:http://jims.mui.ac.ir/index.php/jims/article/view/2330
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Summary:Background: During the last decade, intra-spinal micro-stimulation (ISMS) has been proposed as a potential technique for restoring the motor function in paralyzed limbs. It has been shown that there are functional networks of inter-neurons in the spinal cord (i.e., movement primitive block or motor module) that generate particular motor outputs by selecting specific patterns of muscles activation. In this paper, we investigated the possible activation of the motor module via intra-spinal micro-stimulation. Methods: The experiments were conducted on three adult female Wistar rats. A partial laminectomy was performed to expose at the T13-L4 level. The animals were positioned in a stereotaxic setup which allowed the hindlimbs to hang free while the head and spinal vertebrae (T12 and L5) were clamped rigidly to the frame. We developed custom made real-time software written in LabVIEW to estimate the joint angles. To stimulate the spinal cord, a computer-based sixteen-channel stimulator was used. The amplitude, pulse width and frequency of the stimulation signal could be varied online. Different positions within the spinal cord between the T13-L4 regions were stimulated and the joint angles were measured. Findings: Movement primitive blocks associated with stepping could be generated using ISMS. Recruitment curves of the motor primitive blocks showed liner relationship between stimulation signal and joint angles. By defining a specific pattern of motor primitives' activation, the locomotor-like stepping could be generated. Conclusion: The complex locomotor-like stepping can be generated by the combination of the motor primitives using ISMS.
ISSN:1027-7595
1735-854X