Article 3 (NIDRR) Recovery of Overground Locomotion via Targeted Robotic Gait Training in Rats with SCI

Robotic gait training with rigidly applied pre-injury patterns enhances recovery of overground locomotion differently than robotic gait training with self-selected patterns following spinal cord injury in rats. Randomized, controlled study. Laboratory. Following a cervical injury 32 rats were assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups; no treatment, training with self-selected patterns, or training with an applied pre-injury pattern. Daily treatment for 4 weeks. Weekly overground assessment during training, and for an additional 2 weeks. Overground locomotor parameters such as, stride velocity, stride length, cycle time, and stance/swing phasing. Left hindlimb overground stride length was restored with self-selected training patterns and not a rigid pre-injury pattern. This effect was still present two weeks after training. Right forelimb overground phasing was restored with pre-injury patterns and not self-selected patterns. Robotic training with self-selected patterns impedes the recovery of right hindlimb phasing. Step cycle time of all limbs is unchanged by robotic gait training. All measures were compared to pre-injury levels, with p