神経の可塑性と脊髄損傷のリハビリテーション(<特集>神経・筋の可塑性とリハビリテーション・スポーツ(69回大会シンポジウムの紹介))

抄録

It has been more than a century since the spinal neural circuit generating basic locomotor patterns was first found in quadrupedal mammals. Based on substantial neurophysiological knowledge about the spinal locomotor circuit obtained subsequently, a body-weight support treadmill training (BWST) has been used for patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) as a novel neurorehabilitation strategy to restore locomotor ability. The BWST is thought to be beneficial in regaining functional gait, specifically after incomplete SCI, although its superiority to conventional rehabilitation interventions is now under debate. Recent rat studies, however, have shed light on the previously unknown plasticity and reorganization ability of the spinal locomotor circuit with a novel neuromodulation technique that facilitates spinal and supraspinal neural excitability. In this short review, the newly-developed neuromodulation technique is introduced, which has possible future applications for patients with central nervous system dysfunction, such as SCI and stroke.