Browse the latest research summaries in the field of physiology for spinal cord injury patients and caregivers.
Showing 191-200 of 292 results
PLoS ONE, 2012 • November 8, 2012
This study explored the impact of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism on single muscle fiber contractile properties in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The SCI condition provided a standardized env...
KEY FINDING: Absence of a-actinin-3 (XX genotype) resulted in a limitation in the shift of muscle composition towards type IIx fibers and preservation of type I fibers in response to long-term muscle disuse.
Exp Neurol, 2013 • September 1, 2013
This study investigates the effectiveness of high-frequency spinal cord stimulation (HF-SCS) to activate the diaphragm in rats with spinal cord injury, comparing it to previous findings in dogs. The r...
KEY FINDING: HF-SCS results in activation of the diaphragm at physiological firing frequencies in rats following spinal cord injury.
J Physiol, 2013 • March 18, 2013
This study examined the effects of transcranial polarization on rubro- and reticulospinal neurons in deeply anaesthetized cats. The results indicate that tDCS facilitates transsynaptic activation of s...
KEY FINDING: Transcranial polarization facilitates transsynaptic activation of both rubrospinal and reticulospinal neurons.
Clin Neurophysiol, 2013 • September 1, 2013
The purpose of this study is to investigate whether muscle activity from synchronous or asynchronous sources is modulated during supra-maximal electrical stimulation and muscle fatigue in humans with ...
KEY FINDING: Fatigue enhanced the activation to the paralyzed soleus muscle, but primarily at the H-reflex latency.
Respir Physiol Neurobiol, 2013 • November 1, 2013
The paper reviews a novel method of inspiratory muscle activation using high-frequency (300 Hz) electrical stimulation on the ventral surface of the upper thoracic spinal cord. Unlike previous methods...
KEY FINDING: High-frequency spinal cord stimulation (HF-SCS) results in synchronous activation of both the diaphragm and inspiratory intercostal muscles in an animal model.
The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 2014 • January 1, 2014
This study investigated the impact of physical exercise on body composition and insulin resistance in individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (c-SCI). The results showed that physically active in...
KEY FINDING: Physically active individuals with c-SCI had significantly lower total fat mass (t-FM) and regional fat mass (r-FM) compared to non-active individuals.
PLoS ONE, 2013 • October 17, 2013
The present study investigated the degree of impairment in crossed corticospinal facilitation in muscles above, at, and below a SCI. We found in patients with chronic SCI that crossed corticospinal fa...
KEY FINDING: Crossed corticospinal facilitation was normal in muscles above the injury in SCI patients.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2014 • January 1, 2014
This study demonstrates that ventilatory long-term facilitation can be evoked in humans with chronic, incomplete spinal cord injury. Single sessions of intermittent hypoxia induced increases in minute...
KEY FINDING: Minute ventilation significantly increased for 30 minutes after acute exposure to intermittent hypoxia in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury.
Neurology, 2014 • January 14, 2014
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study investigated the effects of daily acute intermittent hypoxia (dAIH) and dAIH combined with overground walking on walking speed and en...
KEY FINDING: dAIH alone improved walking speed, as measured by the 10-Meter Walk Test (10MWT), compared to the control group (dSHAM) after both 1 day and 2 weeks of treatment.
Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 2005 • June 1, 2005
The purpose of this study was to evaluate contractile properties of the tibialis anterior of paralyzed and non-paralyzed subjects. The SCI muscles produced lower forces overall, but higher forces rela...
KEY FINDING: SCI muscles produced lower forces overall but higher forces relative to maximal force at lower frequencies, shifting the force-frequency curve to the left.