Sciatic Nerve Electrical Stimulation Enhances Locomotor Recovery in Rats Following Spinal Cord Contusion.

ABSTRACT: Spinal cord injury affects over 300 000 individuals in the United States with limited treatment options for significant locomotor functional recovery. While functional electrical stimulation devices to assist reciprocal muscle contraction during movement are used in rehabilitation, their efficacy as a standalone treatment for direct nerve stimulation remains unclear.

Objective

This study investigated the effects of direct bilateral sciatic nerve stimulation on functional recovery in an adult rat model of thoracic spinal cord contusion.

Method

Twenty adult male Long Evans rats underwent T10 spinal cord contusion. Custom stimulator electrode cuffs were placed around bilateral sciatic nerves in the hindlimbs. Rats received electrical stimulation or sham stimulation for 30 minute

SUBMITTER: Tsai SY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12554933 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature