Spinal Plasticity effects on neural circuits

描述（由申请人提供） 这个NINDS K25指导定量研究职业的候选人 发展奖是作为一个生物医学工程师培训，并已执行 临床神经假体的实验和建模研究， 脊髓神经生理学发现在神经修复问题上的应用。 导师是神经可塑性和再生领域的领导者。的 候选人的长期目标是进一步了解电机 在脊柱水平上编码的程序及其功能应用。短期 职业目标是了解神经系统的影响， 脊髓回路上的可塑性，在脊髓神经节产生有组织的力量模式， 当电/电激活时，肢体的效应器。这样的 理解将有助于开发设备， 通过感觉运动训练和再生脊髓增强的神经假体 途径。拟议的职业发展计划包括以下方面的具体培训： 神经可塑性，组织学和电生理学方法。具体 研究计划的目的是研究脊髓损伤，感觉运动， 康复和神经移植影响脊柱的运作 电路.该计划是一个创新的整合候选人的 基于工程的神经修复学研究兴趣与导师的长期 长期对脊柱修复感兴趣提出了三个项目。第一眼 慢性脊椎化对产生的力模式结构的影响 通过电激活猫的脊柱腰椎的背侧/内侧区域 放大第二个项目研究运动训练对 脊椎动物的行走能力和脊椎回路组织。的 第三个项目建议扩展大鼠移植方案， 到猫模型，并确定这些提供的功能优势， 脊柱移植结合运动训练完成后 运动训练，编码到神经元回路的力量模式， 通过脊柱内微刺激研究脊髓。结果将 扩展我们对神经可塑性对部分脑区的影响的认识， 具有神经修复应用潜力的脊髓回路。此外，委员会认为， 结果将证明神经移植物的跨物种应用， 以及感觉运动训练对再生通路的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant) The candidate for this NINDS K25 Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award was trained as a biomedical engineer and has performed experimental and modeling research on clinical neuroprostheses and on applications of spinal neurophysiology discoveries to neuroprosthetic problems. The mentor is a leader in the field of neural plasticity and regeneration. The candidate's long term objective is to further the understanding of the motor program coded at the spinal level, and its functional application. Short term career goals are to develop an understanding of the effects of neural plasticity on spinal circuits that produce organized force patterns at the limb's effector when electrically/pharmacologically activated. Such an understanding would contribute to the development of devices combining neuroprostheses enhanced by sensorimotor training and regenerated spinal pathways. The proposed career development plan includes specific training in neural plasticity, histological and electrophysiological methods. The specific aims of the research plan are to examine how spinal cord injuries, sensorimotor rehabilitation, and neural transplants affect the operation of the spinal circuits. The plan is an innovative integration of the candidate's engineering-based neuroprosthetics research interests with the mentor's long term interests in spinal repair. Three projects are proposed. The first looks at the effects of chronic spinalization on the force pattern structure produced by electrical activation of dorsal/medial regions of the cat's spinal lumbar enlargement. The second project examines the effects of locomotor training on the spinal animal's walking abilities and spinal circuitry organization. The third project proposes to extend transplantation protocols developed in the rat to the cat model, and to identify the functional benefits provided by these spinal grafts when combined with locomotor training. Upon completion of the locomotor training, the force patterns coded into the neuronal circuit of the spinal cord are investigated via intraspinal microstimulation. The results will extend our knowledge of the effects of neural plasticity on portions of the spinal circuitry with potential for neuroprosthetic applications. Furthermore, the results will demonstrate the cross-species application of a neural graft, as well as the effect of sensorimotor training on the regenerated pathways.