Plasticity of connections underlying locomotor recovery after central and/or peripheral lesions in the adult mammals

This review explores how the nervous system can adapt after spinal cord injuries, focusing on regaining the ability to walk. It looks at how existing connections in the spinal cord can change and how training can improve recovery. The review summarizes multiple observations related to the functional recovery of locomotion after spinal injury. The research emphasizes that recovery involves changes in the spinal cord's existing networks, not just the regrowth of damaged nerve fibers. Locomotor training appears to change the excitability of simple reflex pathways as well as more complex circuitry. It is comforting to think that the nervous system, even at the adult stage, is plastic enough to optimize internal motor sequences after lesion.

• 1
  Locomotor training can modify the excitability of reflex pathways and complex neural circuits within the spinal cord.
• 2
  Adaptation to spinal cord lesions typically involves changes at both spinal and supraspinal levels, indicating a comprehensive reorganization of motor control.
• 3
  The level of spinal cord section is critical for locomotor recovery, suggesting that specific spinal segments play key roles in generating locomotion.