Reanimation of a denervated muscle using upper motoneuron injured lower motoneurons in spinal cord injury patients: A rat model

This project aims to show that a denervated muscle can be reanimated following spinal cord injury using upper motoneuron injured lower motoneurons regrowing through non-electrically excitable nerves. The newly reanimated muscle can then be stimulated with command signals from an electrical stimulation system. A rat model was created with a spinal cord injury and a transaction of the tibial nerve to create the denervation. One week post injury, the upper motoneuron injured peroneal nerve was transferred to the sheath of the tibial nerve. About five weeks after that, force analysis showed significant regrowth. The same force analysis was performed on both the experimental side, which had undergone the surgical procedures outlined above, and the contralateral side, which previously had not undergone any peripheral surgical procedures. The maximum experimental side gastrocnemius force was approximately 50% that of contralateral sick.