Functional Electrical Stimulation Helps Replenish Progenitor Cells in the Injured Spinal Cord of Adult Rats

Exp Neurol, 2010 · DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2009.12.029 · Published: April 1, 2010

Spinal Cord Injury Neurology Regenerative Medicine & Stem Cells

Simple Explanation

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is known to help muscles after a nerve injury. This study explores whether FES can also help the central nervous system to repair itself after a spinal cord injury. Researchers applied FES to rats with spinal cord injuries. They found that FES increased the number of new cells being born in the injured spinal cord. The increase in new cells suggests that FES could enhance the body's natural ability to regenerate nerve tissue after an injury. These results suggest that FES may offer a pragmatic approach to augmentation of spontaneous repair.

Study Duration

43 days

Participants

36 adult female Long Evans rats

Evidence Level

Level 2; Experimental Animal Study

Key Findings

1
FES significantly increased cell birth in the lumbar spinal cord of rats with spinal cord injuries, with an 82-86% increase observed in the injured ‘cell birth’ subgroup.
2
The increased number of newborn cells in the lumbar spinal cord persisted in the ‘cell survival’ subgroup, indicating that FES had a lasting effect on cell populations.
3
FES doubled the proportion of newly-born cells expressing nestin, a marker for tripotential progenitors, suggesting FES may help replenish the progenitor cell pool in the spinal cord.

Research Summary

This study investigated the impact of functional electrical stimulation (FES) on cell regeneration in rats with spinal cord injuries (SCI). The research found that FES significantly increased cell birth in the lumbar spinal cord of injured rats, particularly cells expressing nestin, a marker for neural progenitor cells. These findings suggest that FES may enhance spontaneous regeneration in the injured adult central nervous system (CNS) by replenishing the progenitor cell pool.

Practical Implications

Enhanced Regeneration

FES may augment spontaneous regeneration in the injured spinal cord, offering a potential method to enhance repair after neurological injuries.

Clinical Treatment

The physical benefits of active FES exercise are sufficient rationale for treatment initiation in SCI patients. New clinical data suggest that there is a possibility for recovery of function in chronic SCI patients with FES treatment

Cellular Replenishment

FES could help replenish the progenitor cell pool, potentially leading to the production of new oligodendrocytes and other glial cells.

Study Limitations

1
The study did not find any evidence of new neurons in the spinal cord.
2
The survival period may have been insufficient to detect new neuron differentiation.
3
Determining whether increased cell birth translates to recovery of function will require additional analyses in models of incomplete injury.

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