Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Soshi Samejima, Claire Shackleton, Raza N. Malik, Kawami Cao, Anibal Bohorquez, Tom E. Nightingale, Rahul Sachdeva, Andrei V. Krassioukov
Summary: Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to severe cardiovascular dysfunction, and autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is one of the causes of high blood pressure in SCI patients. Recently, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been considered as a potential intervention to alleviate unstable blood pressure after SCI. This case series demonstrates the real-time effect of epidural SCS (eSCS) at the lumbosacral spinal cord in mitigating AD in individuals with SCI.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jeonghoon Oh, Alexander G. Steele, Blesson Varghese, Catherine A. Martin, Michelle S. Scheffler, Rachel L. Markley, Yi-Kai Lo, Dimitry G. Sayenko
Summary: Transcutaneous spinal stimulation is a promising method for restoring upper limb function in patients with spinal cord injuries. By selectively stimulating different electrode placements, specific groups of upper limb muscles can be activated. This approach may enhance efficacy and help patients recover more diverse motor activities.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Jaclyn R. Wecht, William M. Savage, Grace O. Famodimu, Gregory A. Mendez, Jonah M. Levine, Matthew T. Maher, Joseph P. Weir, Jill M. Wecht, Jason B. Carmel, Yu-Kuang Wu, Noam Y. Harel
Summary: The study found that subthreshold TSCS can facilitate hand muscle responses to motor cortex stimulation, especially when the TSCS arrives simultaneously or slightly after the cortical stimulation, indicating the potential for enhanced synaptic plasticity in circuits serving hand function.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Giuliano Taccola, Ronaldo M. Ichiyama, V. Reggie Edgerton, Parag Gad
Summary: This review discusses the physiological states of spinal networks, highlighting the stochastic modulation by changing ensembles of proprioceptive and supraspinal input. Spinal epidural interfaces offer a platform for studying spinal network dynamics post-injury. Low-frequency epidural pulses can evoke motor responses with oscillatory patterns. The neural variability among spinal networks is seen as a fundamental mechanism of network design rather than noise interfering with movement control.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Fatma Inanici, Lorie N. Brighton, Soshi Samejima, Christoph P. Hofstetter, Chet T. Moritz
Summary: Upper extremity paralysis post spinal cord injury greatly impacts independence and quality of life. Non-invasive transcutaneous electrical stimulation shows promising results in rapidly and sustainably restoring hand and arm function, reducing muscle spasticity, and improving autonomic functions. Long-term neuroplasticity may play a role in maintaining functional recovery beyond the stimulation period.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NEURAL SYSTEMS AND REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
(2021)
Review
Neurosciences
Soshi Samejima, Richard Henderson, Jared Pradarelli, Sarah E. Mondello, Chet T. Moritz
Summary: Spinal cord injuries often result in permanent physical impairments despite being incomplete disruptions. However, remaining connections between the brain and spinal cord can induce neural plasticity to improve sensorimotor function, even years post-injury. This review provides an overview of evidence for motor recovery, plasticity, and interventions in spinal cord stimulation for motor control restoration. It discusses both open-loop and closed-loop stimulation approaches, as well as mechanisms of spinal cord neuromodulation for sensorimotor recovery, aiming to advance rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Noah Bryson, Lorenzo Lombardi, Rachel Hawthorn, Jie Fei, Rodolfo Keesey, J. D. Peiffer, Ismael Seanez
Summary: This study investigated whether muscle recruitment selectivity of individual muscles could be enhanced by multielectrode configurations of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) in neurologically intact individuals. The results showed that multielectrode configurations improved the selectivity and activation of specific muscles, potentially enhancing single-joint movements in neurorehabilitation.
JOURNAL OF NEURAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Maarten Vanloon, Vincent Raymaekers, Sacha Meeuws, Dirk de Ridder, Mark Plazier
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the vertebral level of paddle placement and abdominal wall stimulation (AWS) after spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in patients with chronic pain. The results showed that there was no significant correlation between AWS and the location of the neurostimulator tip or conus medullaris, suggesting that AWS may not be solely dependent on the stimulation itself. The study provides important insights into the occurrence of AWS in patients receiving SCS and highlights the need for further research in this area.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hatice Kumru, Loreto Garcia-Alen, Aina Ros-Alsina, Sergiu Albu, Margarita Valles, Joan Vidal
Summary: This study aimed to investigate whether transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) could improve respiratory function in individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (cSCI). The results showed that subjects who received tSCS combined with inspiratory muscle training (IMT) experienced significant improvements in breathlessness/dyspnea, hypophonia, maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), and forced vital capacity. Therefore, tSCS may serve as an effective adjunctive therapy for respiratory impairments following SCI.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Md Akhlasur Rahman, Niraj Singh Tharu, Sylvia M. Gustin, Yong-Ping Zheng, Monzurul Alam
Summary: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a debilitating injury with severe complications, but recent development of noninvasive electrical neuromodulation treatments offers hope for rehabilitation. Trans-spinal direct current stimulation (tsDCS) and trans-spinal pulsed current stimulation (tsPCS) have shown promising results in improving sensorimotor and autonomic functions.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alexandra Tinnermann, Christian Buechel, Jan Haaker
Summary: Observing others' aversive experiences can trigger similar brain activation and physiological responses as firsthand experiences, but the neural responses in the spinal cord may differ when it comes to processing pain in oneself versus in others.
Review
Clinical Neurology
Alice Lin, Elias Shaaya, Jonathan S. Calvert, Samuel R. Parker, David A. Borton, Jared S. Fridley
Summary: This review assesses the efficacy of spinal cord stimulation for individuals with chronic spinal cord injury. The results show that spinal cord stimulation can improve sensorimotor and autonomic function. However, further research and optimization are needed before clinical translation.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Evgenii Kim, Jeungeun Kum, Hyungmin Kim
Summary: Compared to current non-invasive methods, focused ultrasound provides better spatial resolution and penetration depth. This study investigates the application of trans-spinal focused ultrasound (tsFUS) on a mouse model to modulate the descending pathways in a non-invasive manner. The results show the ability of tsFUS to modulate motor signals and manage tremors safely, providing a foundation for the trans-spinal application of focused ultrasound to motor-related disorders.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NEURAL SYSTEMS AND REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Dimitrios V. Papadopoulos, Madeline S. Suk, David Andreychik, Vasileios Nikolaou, Michael Haak
Summary: This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the rate and causes for reoperation following spinal cord stimulation and identify risk factors for reoperation. The study found that lead migration or misplacement was the most common cause for revision, while no pain relief was the secondary cause. Younger age was associated with a higher risk of reoperation, while higher BMI and diabetes were associated with infection development. Accurate positioning of the spinal cord stimulators, design of smaller generators, and preoperative optimization of patients could improve the overall reoperation rate and clinical outcomes.
GLOBAL SPINE JOURNAL
(2023)
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Steven M. Falowski, Hao Tan, Joseph Parks, Alaa Abd-Elsayed, Ahmed Raslan, Jason Pope
Summary: This comprehensive literature review evaluates the most common complications encountered with spinal cord stimulation (SCS) implantation. The authors suggest strategies to avoid and treat these complications, including appropriate patient selection, adherence to evidence-based guidelines, and best practice recommendations.
EXPERT REVIEW OF MEDICAL DEVICES
(2023)