Grant: Project Grant

Spinal cord injuries damage nerve fibers that connect our brain to the rest of the body. Because these fibers cannot regrow effectively the result is dramatic and permanent. However there are mechanisms that allow a moderate recovery, especially when a portion of the nerve fibers have been spared by the injury. In this case, spared nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord can become rewired and adapt to the new situation, a process called neuroplasticity. A process that utilizes these adaptive abilities of the nervous system is rehabilitative training, which is currently the most successful treatment to recover a moderate amount of function after a spinal cord injury. In this proposal we attempt to understand how training interacts with neuroplasticity. With the understanding of the cellular mechanism we can develop treatments to augment this synergy, and for effective treatments for spinal cord injury.