Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve restores inspiratory diaphragm function in mice after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injuries in the neck area can disrupt breathing by interrupting signals between the brain and muscles needed for respiration. This study explores whether stimulating nerves in the leg can help restore diaphragm function after such an injury. The researchers stimulated the sciatic nerve in mice with cervical spinal cord injuries and measured diaphragm activity. They found that electrical stimulation could restore inspiratory activity to the diaphragm, even long after the injury. This suggests that therapies targeting limb nerves might help improve breathing in patients with cervical spinal cord injuries. The study also provides a model for further research into how limb nerve stimulation affects respiratory muscle activity.

• 1
  Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve can increase diaphragm activity in uninjured mice, confirming previous findings in other species.
• 2
  Sciatic nerve stimulation can restore inspiratory activity to the paralyzed diaphragm after a cervical hemisection injury, both acutely (1 day) and chronically (2 months) after injury.
• 3
  At chronic stages (2 months post-injury), even lower stimulation thresholds are required to elicit significant increases in inspiratory diaphragm activity compared to 1 day after injury, suggesting plasticity within spinal and/or brain circuits.