Article
Cell Biology
ChenZi Gong, Xiaolong Zheng, FangLiang Guo, YaNan Wang, Song Zhang, Jing Chen, XueJiao Sun, Sayed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, YiFeng Zheng, Xiao Li, Yatao Yin, Qian Li, XiaoLin Huang, Tiecheng Guo, Xiaohua Han, Su-Chun Zhang, Wei Wang, Hong Chen
Summary: This study presents an effective method for treating spasticity caused by spinal cord injury, by differentiating human pluripotent stem cells into GABA neurons and transplanting them into the injured rat spinal cord. The grafted GABA neurons successfully alleviated spasticity-like response and locomotion deficits. Activation of these grafted GABA neurons with a specific drug further reduced spasticity-like response, indicating the therapeutic potential of spinal GABA neurons for SCI.
Article
Biology
Bing Chen, Monica A. Perez
Summary: This study investigates the regulation of Ia afferent input during voluntary contraction in individuals with spinal cord injury. The results show that in SCI patients, the inhibitory D1 and facilitatory FN effects were reduced compared to control group, indicating the impact of SCI on sensory pathways.
Article
Physiology
Sina Sangari, Iseline Peyre, Alexandra Lackmy-Vallee, Eleonore Bayen, Pierre-Francois Pradat, Veronique Marchand-Pauvert
Summary: The study found that heteronymous recurrent inhibition plays an important role in regulating motor output in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The inhibition is reduced in soleus but enhanced in quadriceps, and is related to the integrity of the motor neuron pool and lower limb dysfunctions. Renshaw cells might have a transient protective role on motoneuron by counteracting hyperexcitability in the early stages.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Anne Worthington, Alise Kalteniece, Maryam Ferdousi, Luca D'Onofrio, Shaishav Dhage, Shazli Azmi, Clare Adamson, Shaheen Hamdy, Rayaz A. Malik, Nigel A. Calcutt, Andrew G. Marshall
Summary: HRDD impairment is found in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes with neuropathic pain, while patients without pain exhibit enhanced HRDD. These impairments are unrelated to diabetes type and the presence or severity of neuropathy, suggesting that targeting spinal or supraspinal mechanisms may help treat painful diabetic neuropathy.
Article
Neurosciences
Omar Refy, Belle Blanchard, Abigail Miller-Peterson, Ashley N. Dalrymple, Ernesto H. Bedoy, Amelia Zaripova, Nadim Motaghedi, Owen Mo, Shalini Panthangi, Alex Reinhart, Gelsy Torres-Oviedo, Hartmut Geyer, Douglas J. Weber
Summary: This study provides direct evidence for the modulation of spinal reflexes during locomotor adaptation. Specifically, we demonstrate that reflexes can be unilaterally modulated on-demand during split-belt locomotor adaptation and speculate about reflex modulation as an underlying mechanism for the adaptation of gait asymmetry in healthy adults.
JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Joo-Sung Kim, Kyung-Min Kim, Eunwook Chang, Hyun Chul Jung, Jung-Min Lee, Alan R. Needle
Summary: Recent literature has suggested that acute lateral ankle sprain (ALAS) can lead to altered spinal-reflex excitability, but there is limited information on the conduction velocity of spinal reflex pathways (CV-SRP) in these patients. This study found that ALAS patients had slower CV-SRP and longer H-reflex latency in the soleus muscle. There was also a correlation between CV-SRP and acute symptoms such as ankle swelling and self-reported ankle function. These findings suggest that ALAS may disrupt the functionality of the afferent pathway and/or synaptic transmission.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Joo-Sung Kim, Kyung-Min Kim, Eunwook Chang, Hyun Chul Jung, Jung-Min Lee, Alan R. Needle
Summary: The study found that ankle sprains can lead to bilateral inhibition of spinal reflex excitability in the soleus muscle, which may explain bilateral sensorimotor deficits following unilateral injury and provide insights into treatment options.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Anne Worthington, Alise Kalteniece, Maryam Ferdousi, Luca D'Onofrio, Shaishav Dhage, Shazli Azmi, Clare Adamson, Shaheen Hamdy, Rayaz A. Malik, Nigel A. Calcutt, Andrew G. Marshall
Summary: Impaired rate-dependent depression of the Hoffman reflex (HRDD) may serve as a biomarker of impaired spinal inhibition in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy. Stimulus averages at 1 Hz show potential in distinguishing patients with and without pain.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jiangtao Ma, Pei Du, Jin Qin, Yali Zhou, Ningxi Liang, Jinglve Hu, Yingze Zhang, Yanbin Zhu
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the presence of preoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) following spinal fractures and identified six independent risk factors associated with DVT, including delayed ultrasound, ASA class, ASIA grade, serum albumin level, HDL-C level, and D-dimer level. The optimal D-dimer cut-off value for diagnosis was found to be 1.08 μg/ml.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Laura Paulina Osuna-Carrasco, Sergio Horacio Duenas-Jimenez, Carmen Toro-Castillo, Braniff De la Torre, Irene Aguilar-Garcia, Jonatan Alpirez, Luis Castillo, Judith Marcela Duenas-Jimenez
Summary: Spontaneous interneuron activity plays a critical role in developing neuronal networks. This study found that interneurons in the spinal cord's dorsal horn send axons through the dorsal roots and produce reflexes by depolarizing the primary afferent terminals. Drug experiments suggest that these reflexes are associated with L5 dorsal root stimulation and are sensitive to chemical substances. These findings suggest the presence of connections between spinal interneurons and motoneurons, and the discovery of a new presynaptic pathway.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Hideto Nakayama, Michiyuki Kawakami, Yoko Takahashi, Kunitsugu Kondo, Eiji Shimizu
Summary: This study aimed to investigate changes in spinal reciprocal inhibition (RI) during motor imagery (MI) involving the lower extremity. The results showed that there was no significant change in RI during MI of ankle dorsiflexion compared to resting, while RI during ankle plantarflexion MI significantly decreased. Additionally, after MI practice with an ISI of 20 ms, the difference between the rest condition and the MI-DF condition significantly increased.
NEUROLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Trevor S. Barss, Behdad Parhizi, Jane Porter, Vivian K. Mushahwar
Summary: Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation has the potential to improve sensorimotor rehabilitation by modulating spinal cord circuitry non-invasively. It can alter excitability across multiple segments of the spinal cord with single-site stimulation, and multiple sites of stimulation can converge to facilitate spinal reflex and corticospinal networks. Further mechanistic research is needed to optimize targeted rehabilitation strategies and improve clinical outcomes.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Karen M. Fisher, Stuart N. Baker
Summary: Homonymous facilitation of the H reflex in the flexor carpi radialis can be produced by segmental spinal mechanisms and a supranormal period of nerve excitability, rather than propriospinal circuits specifically.
FRONTIERS IN SYSTEMS NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Xiaolong Zheng, Bo Zhu, Jiang Xu, Dong Liu, Yan Huang, Daiqi Chen, Zhixian Liu, Fangliang Guo, Yuanji Dong, Wenzhen Zhu, Dengji Pan, Su-Chun Zhang, Hong Chen, Wei Wang
Summary: The researchers established a model of spinal cord injury in rhesus macaques and found that transplanted human spinal GABA neurons survived and showed functional activity in the injured monkey spinal cord, indicating a significant step toward clinical translation for treating spinal cord injury.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Mohamed N. Thabit, Ahmad Ezat, Mohamed A. Ismael, Saber Hadad
Summary: This case-control study investigated changes in spinal excitability in fibromyalgia patients and found a significant increase in the ratio of H-max/M-max compared to healthy controls. There were no significant correlations between this ratio and various pain-related measures, psychiatric comorbidity, and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia, but patients with fibromyalgia experienced more anxiety and depression.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Rehabilitation
Kazuki Ito, Shintaro Uehara, Akiko Yuasa, Chang Man Kim, Shin Kitamura, Kazuki Ushizawa, Shigeo Tanabe, Yohei Otaka
Summary: A novel electromyography-controlled gamified exercise system was developed to allow post-stroke patients to perform repetitive movements with enjoyment. The system was found to have excellent usability and satisfied user satisfaction, motivating patients with a wide range of paretic levels to engage in repetitive finger and wrist movements.
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION-ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Seigo Inoue, Yohei Otaka, Masashi Kumagai, Masafumi Sugasawa, Naoki Mori, Kunitsugu Kondo
Summary: The study found that adding balance exercises using the BEAR to conventional inpatient rehabilitation can improve balance in patients with subacute stroke.
JOURNAL OF NEUROENGINEERING AND REHABILITATION
(2022)
Article
Rehabilitation
Tsuyoshi Tatemoto, Masahiko Mukaino, Nobuhiro Kumazawa, Shigeo Tanabe, Koji Mizutani, Masaki Katoh, Eiichi Saitoh, Yohei Otaka
Summary: Two successful telerehabilitation cases were presented in this report, one facing language barrier and the other complete deafness. The language barrier was overcome using Google Translate, while cue cards were used for the deaf patient. Both patients expressed high satisfaction with the telerehabilitation programme, emphasizing the importance of using supplementary methodologies to overcome communication barriers.
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION-ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Rehabilitation
Kazuki Ushizawa, Yohei Otaka, Shin Kitamura, Seigo Inoue, Sachiko Sakata, Kunitsugu Kondo, Masahiko Mukaino, Eiji Shimizu
Summary: This study aimed to develop a new assessment form for therapists to evaluate the performance of stroke survivors in public transportation use through content validation. The Public Transportation use Assessment Form (PTAF) was successfully developed through three validation processes and consists of four categories and 15 items. The PTAF can assess the ability of public transportation use for stroke survivors and identify specific problems in a clinical setting.
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Shin Kitamura, Yohei Otaka, Kazuki Ushizawa, Seigo Inoue, Sachiko Sakata, Kunitsugu Kondo, Masahiko Mukaino, Eiji Shimizu
Summary: The reliability and validity of the public transportation use assessment form (PTAF) were examined in this study. The results showed sufficient internal consistency, inter-rater reliability, and construct validity of the PTAF.
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Shin Kitamura, Yohei Otaka, Yudai Murayama, Kazuki Ushizawa, Yuya Narita, Naho Nakatsukasa, Daisuke Matsuura, Kunitsugu Kondo, Sachiko Sakata
Summary: This study investigated the difficulty of subtasks involved in bed-wheelchair transfer and found that these difficulties were present upon admission and became more pronounced during the skill acquisition process during hospitalization.
JOURNAL OF STROKE & CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Takayuki Kamimoto, Michiyuki Kawakami, Towa Morita, Yuta Miyazaki, Nanako Hijikata, Tomonori Akimoto, Masahiro Tsujikawa, Kaoru Honaga, Kanjiro Suzuki, Kunitsugu Kondo, Tetsuya Tsuji
Summary: The COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the physical function of disabled individuals living in the community in Japan. It resulted in a decrease in walking speed and a worsening of the Timed Up-and-Go score, especially in individuals with slower walking speeds.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Industrial
Soichiro Koyama, Tsuyoshi Tatemoto, Nobuhiro Kumazawa, Shigeo Tanabe, Yuki Nakagawa, Yohei Otaka
Summary: This study assessed the operability of various-shaped joysticks in young and older adults operating electric-powered wheelchairs. Although there were no significant differences between joysticks, the I-shaped joystick with rounded tips was ranked highest in terms of operability. Young adults displayed better movement time and driving accuracy compared to older adults.
APPLIED ERGONOMICS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Daisuke Nishida, Katsuhiro Mizuno, Osamu Takahashi, Meigen Liu, Tetsuya Tsuji
Summary: This article describes a case of musician's dystonia in a patient's right-hand fingers, which was improved by using electrical stimulation. By applying electrical stimulation to the third and fourth fingers of the right hand, the patient was able to play the guitar fluently. This phenomenon provides clues for developing electrical stimulation-based treatment for focal dystonia.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Akiko Yuasa, Shintaro Uehara, Kazuki Ushizawa, Takamichi Toyama, Jose Gomez-Tames, Akimasa Hirata, Yohei Otaka
Summary: This study aims to evaluate the effects of combined cerebellar tDCS and intensive upper limb rehabilitation training on motor function in stroke patients. The study will explore the feasibility of this method and assess its efficacy. A randomized controlled design will be used, and various assessment methods will be employed to evaluate the outcomes.
PILOT AND FEASIBILITY STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Hiroki Hamajima, Jose Gomez-Tames, Shintaro Uehara, Yohei Otaka, Satoshi Tanaka, Akimasa Hirata
Summary: This study computationally investigated the effects of tDCS montage on the lower limbs by evaluating the electric field intensity, polarity, and co-stimulation of cortical areas using high-resolution head models. The results showed that the C1-C2 montage delivered higher electric field intensities and reached deeper regions of the lower-limb motor area. It also resulted in uniform polarization on the same hemisphere target with comparable intensities between hemispheres but with higher variability. In conclusion, proper montage selection is important for targeting deeper regions and achieving uniform polarization in the lower-limb motor area. Significance: 8/10.
CLINICAL NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Shin Kitamura, Yohei Otaka, Yudai Murayama, Kazuki Ushizawa, Yuya Narita, Naho Nakatsukasa, Daisuke Matsuura, Kunitsugu Kondo, Sachiko Sakata
Summary: This study aimed to assess the difficulty of toileting tasks upon admission and the reacquisition of skills during hospitalization. Results showed that the most difficult tasks upon admission were locking the wheelchair brakes, turning while standing, pulling down lower garments, turning after urination/defecation, pulling up and adjusting lower garments, and maintaining a standing position before urination/defecation. The most difficult tasks for those who became independent during hospitalization were disposing of incontinence pad/sanitary items, pressing the nurse call button after urination/defecation, taking the foot off the footrest and placing it on the ground, and cleaning up after urination/defecation.
JOURNAL OF STROKE & CEREBROVASCULAR DISEASES
(2023)
Letter
Rehabilitation
Koji Mizutani, Yohei Otaka, Masaki Kato, Miwako Hayakawa, Megumi Ozeki, Hirofumi Maeda, Satoshi Hirano, Masahiko Mukaino, Seiko Shibata, Hitoshi Kagaya, Hiroaki Sakurai, Eiichi Saitoh
ANNALS OF PHYSICAL AND REHABILITATION MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Shintaro Uehara, Akiko Yuasa, Kazuki Ushizawa, Shin Kitamura, Kotaro Yamazaki, Eri Otaka, Yohei Otaka
Summary: This study investigated the kinematic parameters of reaching toward different directions in individuals with poststroke hemiparesis during the subacute phase. The results revealed that the direction of aiming influenced the quality and quantity of reaching performance, irrespective of the presence or severity of hemiparesis.
JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Rehabilitation
Soichiro Koyama, Shigeo Tanabe, Yohei Otaka, Tomoya Kato, Shotaro Furuzawa, Tsuyoshi Tatemoto, Nobuhiro Kumazawa, Hiroshi Yoshimuta, Katsuhiko Torii, Shingo Tsukada, Eiichi Saitoh
Summary: The novel lateral transfer assist robot facilitates easier transfers compared with a wheelchair in post-stroke hemiparesis patients, improving independence.
DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION-ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)