Hang Jin Jo, Ethan Kizziar, Sina Sangari, David Chen, Allison Kessler, Ki Kim, Alan Anschel, Allen W Heinemann, Brett D Mensh, Saria Awadalla, Richard L Lieber, Martin Oudega, Monica A Perez
OBJECTIVE: Spinal cord injury (SCI) damages synaptic connections between corticospinal axons and motoneurons of many muscles, resulting in devastating paralysis. We hypothesized that strengthening corticospinal-motoneuronal synapses at multiple spinal cord levels through Hebbian plasticity (i.e., "neurons that fire together, wire together") promotes recovery of leg and arm function. METHODS: Twenty participants with chronic SCI were randomly assigned to receive 20 sessions of Hebbian or sham stimulation targeting corticospinal-motoneuronal synapses of multiple leg muscles followed by exercise...
June 2023: Annals of Neurology