How plastic are human spinal cord motor circuitries?

TY - JOUR

T1 - How plastic are human spinal cord motor circuitries?

AU - Christiansen, Lasse

AU - Lundbye-Jensen, Jesper

AU - Perez, Monica A

AU - Nielsen, Jens Bo

N1 - CURIS 2017 NEXS 186

PY - 2017/11/1

Y1 - 2017/11/1

N2 - Human and animal studies have documented that neural circuitries in the spinal cord show adaptive changes caused by altered supraspinal and/or afferent input to the spinal circuitry in relation to learning, immobilization, injury and neurorehabilitation. Reversible adaptations following, e.g. the acquisition or refinement of a motor skill rely heavily on the functional integration between supraspinal and sensory inputs to the spinal cord networks. Accordingly, what is frequently conceived as a change in the spinal circuitry may be a change in either descending or afferent input or in the relative integration of these, i.e. a change in the neuronal weighting. This is evident from findings documenting only task-specific functional changes after periods of altered inputs whereas resting responses remain unaffected. In fact, the proximity of the spinal circuitry to the outer world may demand a more rigid organization compared to the highly flexible cortical circuits. The understanding of all of this is important for the planning and execution of neurorehabilitation.

AB - Human and animal studies have documented that neural circuitries in the spinal cord show adaptive changes caused by altered supraspinal and/or afferent input to the spinal circuitry in relation to learning, immobilization, injury and neurorehabilitation. Reversible adaptations following, e.g. the acquisition or refinement of a motor skill rely heavily on the functional integration between supraspinal and sensory inputs to the spinal cord networks. Accordingly, what is frequently conceived as a change in the spinal circuitry may be a change in either descending or afferent input or in the relative integration of these, i.e. a change in the neuronal weighting. This is evident from findings documenting only task-specific functional changes after periods of altered inputs whereas resting responses remain unaffected. In fact, the proximity of the spinal circuitry to the outer world may demand a more rigid organization compared to the highly flexible cortical circuits. The understanding of all of this is important for the planning and execution of neurorehabilitation.

KW - Humans

KW - Motor control

KW - Plasticity

KW - Reflexes

KW - Spinal cord

U2 - 10.1007/s00221-017-5037-x

DO - 10.1007/s00221-017-5037-x

M3 - Review

C2 - 28776155

SN - 0014-4819

VL - 235

SP - 3243

EP - 3249

JO - Experimental Brain Research

JF - Experimental Brain Research

IS - 11

ER -