Abstract
After spinal cord injury (SCI), spinal reflex activity often becomes abnormal, contributing to common movement problems, such as spasticity and weak voluntary muscle control. Learning to change a reflex through an operant conditioning protocol may enhance motor function recovery. Indeed, in spastic people with hyperreflexia due to incomplete SCI, down-conditioning of the soleus H-reflex improved walking speed, right-left step symmetry, and modulation of EMG activity in multiple muscles bilaterally. Operant conditioning protocols could be developed to modify other spinal reflexes or corticospinal connections and might be combined with other rehabilitation methods to enhance recovery in people with SCI or other neurological disorders.
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Thompson, A.K. (2014). Learning to Change a Reflex to Improve Locomotion. In: Jensen, W., Andersen, O., Akay, M. (eds) Replace, Repair, Restore, Relieve – Bridging Clinical and Engineering Solutions in Neurorehabilitation. Biosystems & Biorobotics, vol 7. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08072-7_34
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08072-7_34
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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