Improvement in Motor and Walking Capacity during Multisegmental Transcutaneous Spinal Stimulation in Individuals with Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury
Kumru, Hatice (Institut Germans Trias i Pujol)
Ros-Alsina, Aina (Institut Germans Trias i Pujol. Institut Guttmann)
García-Alén, Loreto (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Vidal, Joan (Institut Germans Trias i Pujol)
Gerasimenko, Yury P (Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Louisville)
Hernández, Agustí (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)
Wrigth, Mark (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona)

Date:	2024
Abstract:	Transcutaneous multisegmental spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) has shown superior efficacy in modulating spinal locomotor circuits compared to single-site stimulation in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Building on these findings, we hypothesized that administering a single session of tSCS at multiple spinal segments may yield greater enhancements in muscle strength and gait function during stimulation compared to tSCS at only one or two segments. In our study, tSCS was applied at single segments (C5, L1, and Coc1), two segments (C5-L1, C5-Coc1, and L1-Coc1), or multisegments (C5-L1-Coc1) in a randomized order. We evaluated the 6-m walking test (6MWT) and maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) and assessed the Hmax/Mmax ratio during stimulation in ten individuals with incomplete motor SCI. Our findings indicate that multisegmental tSCS improved walking time and reduced spinal cord excitability, as measured by the Hmax/Mmax ratio, similar to some single or two-site tSCS interventions. However, only multisegmental tSCS resulted in increased tibialis anterior (TA) muscle strength. These results suggest that multisegmental tSCS holds promise for enhancing walking capacity, increasing muscle strength, and altering spinal cord excitability in individuals with incomplete SCI.
Grants:	Agencia Estatal de Investigación PID2021-124111OB-C31
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation ; Multiple segmental stimulation ; Incomplete spinal cord injury ; Gait ; Muscle strength ; Spinal cord excitability
Published in:	International journal of molecular sciences, Vol. 25 (april 2024) , ISSN 1422-0067

DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084480
PMID: 38674065

13 p, 1.7 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Health sciences and biosciences > Institut d'Investigació en Ciencies de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles