Sciatic Nerve Electrical Stimulation Enhances Locomotor Recovery in Rats Following Spinal Cord Contusion.

IF 2.6 Q2 NEUROSCIENCES

Neuroscience Insights Pub Date : 2025-10-23 eCollection Date: 2025-01-01 DOI:10.1177/26331055251385592

Shih-Yen Tsai, Jennifer A Schreiber, Jordan Iordanou, Son T Ton, Akram Imam, Brian E Powers, James S Walter, Martin Oudega, Gwendolyn L Kartje, Russ P Nockels

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Abstract

Spinal cord injury affects over 300 000 individuals in the United States with limited treatment options for significant locomotor functional recovery. While functional electrical stimulation devices to assist reciprocal muscle contraction during movement are used in rehabilitation, their efficacy as a standalone treatment for direct nerve stimulation remains unclear.

Objective: This study investigated the effects of direct bilateral sciatic nerve stimulation on functional recovery in an adult rat model of thoracic spinal cord contusion.

Method: Twenty adult male Long Evans rats underwent T10 spinal cord contusion. Custom stimulator electrode cuffs were placed around bilateral sciatic nerves in the hindlimbs. Rats received electrical stimulation or sham stimulation for 30 minutes per day (Monday-Friday) over 6 weeks. Functional outcome was assessed weekly using the BBB locomotor scale.

Results: Both groups showed normal hindlimb function pre-surgery (BBB score 21) and significant decline post-SCI and prior to stimulation. Rats in the stimulation group demonstrated significantly better BBB scores than the sham group over time (repeated measures 2-way ANOVA, P < .001).

Conclusion: Daily bilateral sciatic nerve stimulation resulted in accelerated and significant improvement in hindlimb function after SCI compared to sham stimulation, as evaluated by BBB scores. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of this effect.

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坐骨神经电刺激促进脊髓挫伤大鼠运动恢复。

在美国，脊髓损伤影响了超过30万人，但对显著运动功能恢复的治疗选择有限。虽然在康复中使用功能性电刺激装置来辅助运动过程中的肌肉相互收缩，但它们作为直接神经刺激的独立治疗效果尚不清楚。目的：研究双侧坐骨神经直接刺激对成年大鼠胸段脊髓挫伤模型功能恢复的影响。方法：20只成年雄性Long Evans大鼠进行T10脊髓挫伤。在后肢两侧坐骨神经周围放置定制的刺激电极袖口。大鼠接受电刺激或假刺激，每天（周一至周五）30分钟，持续6周。每周使用血脑屏障运动量表评估功能结果。结果：两组术前后肢功能正常（BBB评分21分），脊髓损伤后及刺激前后肢功能明显下降。随着时间的推移，刺激组大鼠的BBB评分明显高于假手术组（重复测量2-way方差分析，P）。结论：通过BBB评分评估，每日双侧坐骨神经刺激比假手术刺激能加速并显著改善脊髓损伤后后肢功能。需要进一步的研究来阐明这种效应的潜在机制。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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