Reaching and Grasping Training Improves Functional Recovery After Chronic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

This study investigates if rehabilitation can improve hand function after a chronic spinal cord injury using a rat model. The rats received a spinal cord injury and then underwent a training program to improve their ability to reach and grasp food pellets. The training program involved the rats using a modified staircase to reach for food. Researchers found that the rats in the training group improved their ability to grab food pellets, suggesting that rehabilitation can improve hand function even after a chronic injury. The study also found that the rehabilitation helped the rats' brains and spinal cords to reorganize, which may have contributed to the improvement in hand function. This suggests that task-specific rehabilitation can be a potential treatment for patients with chronic spinal cord injuries.

• 1
  MMS rehabilitation significantly increased the number of pellets taken at 13 and 14 weeks PI in rats with chronic cervical SCI, indicating an improvement in forelimb function.
• 2
  The accuracy rate for grasping pellets was significantly higher in the MMS training group at 12 to 14 weeks PI, suggesting improved precision in forelimb movements.
• 3
  MMS rehabilitation promoted the sprouting of serotonergic axons in the ventral horns caudal to the injury and increased the number of synapses around motor neurons, indicating enhanced neuroplasticity.