Reconstruction and tuning of neural circuits for locomotion after spinal cord injury

Abstract

Because patients with an injured spinal cord face severe functional deficits, novel therapeutic approaches are required to treat this traumatic disorder. Recent advances in molecular biology and electrophysiology have rendered approaches based on these two subjects important in this field. A molecular approach involving tissue engineering is beneficial for preserving or restoring the neural circuit, i.e., the so-called hardware of the spinal cord. On the other hand, the electrophysiological approach has advantages such as modulation and analysis of use-dependent plastic changes in neural functioning of human subjects, which corresponds to the “software” of the spinal cord. Because varied biological processes are triggered after spinal cord injury, we should use either approach, or both, depending on the clinical problem that needs to be solved.