Advanced Restoration Therapies in Spinal Cord Injury
Abstract
Evidence suggests that functional electrical stimulation (FES) can improve the function of the central nervous system (CNS) after injury or disease. Using FES-based therapies to treat spinal cord injured patients in our clinic, we have observed neurological and physical improvements. Investigations in our basic science research laboratory address the mechanisms by which FES promotes the cellular and molecular CNS regeneration that forms the foundations of this recovery.. SPECIFIC AIM 1: Determine if functional electrical stimulation (FES) in a mouse model of chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) induces proliferation and differentiation of genetically labeled oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) (Months 1-12). SPECIFIC AIM 2: Determine if FES induces remyelination by mature oligodendrocytes in a mouse model of chronic SCI (Months 1-24). SPECIFIC AIM 3: Determine if functional electrical stimulation in a mouse model of chronic SCI induces cortical plasticity as measured by resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) (Months 1-24). Relevance: The studies proposed will continue to investigate the role of FES-based restorative therapies in promoting neurological and functional recovery in chronic SCI. We will use existing transgenic mouse lines that enable the genetically labeling of cellular populations to further our understanding of the mechanisms through which FES induces functional recovery. Additionally, we will use a newly developed transgenic mouse lines that enables us to examine the dynamics of myelin formation. We will also further our imaging work by developing methodology to use rs-fMRI for examination of cortical plasticity in response to FES.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 2015
- Accession Number
- ADA621845
Entities
People
- Visar Belegu
Organizations
- Kennedy Krieger Institute