scholarly journals Application of non-invasive electric stimulation of the spinal cord in motor rehabilitation of children with consequences of vertebral and cerebrospinal injury (preliminary report)

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 48-52
Author(s):  
Sergei V. Vissarionov ◽  
Irina Yu. Solokhina ◽  
Galina A. Ikoeva ◽  
Alexei G. Baindurashvili
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Electric Stimulation ◽  
Surgical Intervention ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Motor Rehabilitation ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Complete Restoration ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Positive Results ◽  
Stimulation Of

Introduction. Vertebral and cerebrospinal injury and its consequences constitute an important problem in modern medicine. In recent years, studies have shown that percutaneous electric stimulation in patients with these injuries can influence the neuronal networks of different parts of the spinal cord to activate afferent and efferent reflex connections with complete or partial disorders of supraspinal influences of various geneses. Aim. To investigate the effect of percutaneous electric stimulation of the spinal cord on the dynamics of recovery of neurological functions in children with vertebral and cerebrospinal injury. Materials and methods. Seven patients aged 4 to 18 years with lesions of the spinal cord from C5-C6 to Th12-L1 and who mainly had a marked neurological deficit were examined from 1 month to 9 years after surgical treatment. All patients underwent neurophysiological studies, including electroneuromyography, electromyography, and somatosensory-evoked potentials. The patients and their parents kept a diary of urination. Results. This clinical study showed that percutaneous electric stimulation of the spinal cord contributed to the rapid and complete restoration of the neurological functions in patients with vertebral and medullar conflict and depended directly on the early terms of surgical intervention. Conclusion. The positive results obtained in the complex rehabilitation of children with vertebral and cerebrospinal injuries by using non-invasive percutaneous electric stimulation of the spinal cord support the use of this method in the early stages after surgical intervention.

Processing of splanchnic and somatic input in thoracic spinal cord of the rat

1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (1) ◽  
pp. R257-R267 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. W. Akeyson ◽  
L. P. Schramm
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Electrical Stimulation ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Splanchnic Nerve ◽  
Careful Analysis ◽  
Thoracic Spinal Cord ◽  
Thoracic Spinal ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies ◽  
Somatic Input ◽  
Stimulation Of

To better understand the spinal transmission of visceral afferent information, we conducted neurophysiological studies of single spinal neurons that receive input from the greater splanchnic nerve (GSN). Extracellular single-neuron recordings were made in the thoracic spinal cord of chloralose-anesthetized, paralyzed, and artificially ventilated rats, some of which had undergone acute spinal transection at C1. Neurons were divided into four classes according to their responses to GSN stimulation: one-burst excitatory, two-burst excitatory, biphasic, and inhibited. We then studied the characteristics of the convergent somatic input to each class of neurons using either natural somatic stimuli or electrical stimulation of the iliohypogastric nerve (IHN). Most splanchnic input was mediated by unmyelinated fibers, whereas somatic input was mediated by both unmyelinated and small myelinated fibers. Most of the neurons exhibited somatic receptive fields, and the majority responded to both innocuous and noxious somatic stimuli. However, a small number could be excited only by GSN stimulation. Although a careful analysis of response characteristics indicated that there was a tendency for neurons to exhibit similar responses to electrical stimulation of the GSN and the IHN, we observed many combinations of somatic and visceral responses. We suggest that visceral afferent activity, in addition to being processed via convergent somatovisceral pathways, may be processed by neurons that convey only visceral information or by neurons in which visceral and somatic information is differentially coded.

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