Changes in motor outputs after spinal cord injury

Amr A. Mahrous, Owen Shelton, Derin Birch, Vicki Tysseling

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is commonly associated with paralysis or the inability to volitionally move, but the majority of people with SCI also have involuntary muscle contractions that are triggered by the input of different interneuronal populations to a hyperexcitable and unregulated motoneuron. The exaggerated response to sensory input is worsened by disinhibition of several interneuronal populations in the dorsal horn, resulting in the broadening of receptive fields and the transmission of large, prolonged excitatory potentials to the motoneuron. Chronic changes such as these exist throughout the spinal cord. Several studies have looked at changes in different interneuronal populations that are classified by developmental proximity and identified through common transcription factor markers. Many interneuronal groups have been shown to have distinct roles in locomotion and a few, such as V2a and V3, have been studied with respect to their contributions to spasms post-SCI. There also seems to be inhibitory potentials delivered to the motoneuron, which complicates the overall picture. As shown in this chapter, chronic changes appear throughout the spinal cord and are evidenced by uncontrolled motor responses to otherwise innocuous sensory inputs. Understanding how these changes present themselves and modify the circuitry within the spinal cord is imperative to improving therapeutic interventions and functional recovery.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationSpinal Interneurons
Subtitle of host publicationPlasticity after Spinal Cord Injury
PublisherElsevier
Pages227-250
Number of pages24
ISBN (Electronic)9780128192603
ISBN (Print)9780128192610
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2022

Keywords

  • Locomotor recovery
  • Muscle spasms
  • Plasticity
  • Spasticity
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Spinal interneurons

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine
  • General Neuroscience

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