Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve restores inspiratory diaphragm function in mice after spinal cord injury
IntroductionSpinal cord injury in the high cervical cord can impair breathing due to disruption of pathways between brainstem respiratory centers and respiratory motor neurons in the spinal cord. Electrical stimulation of limb afferents can increase ventilation in healthy humans and animals, but it...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neural Circuits |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncir.2024.1480291/full |
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| author | Ian Walling Ian Walling Sarah Baumgartner Mitesh Patel Steven A. Crone Steven A. Crone Steven A. Crone |
| author_facet | Ian Walling Ian Walling Sarah Baumgartner Mitesh Patel Steven A. Crone Steven A. Crone Steven A. Crone |
| author_sort | Ian Walling |
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| description | IntroductionSpinal cord injury in the high cervical cord can impair breathing due to disruption of pathways between brainstem respiratory centers and respiratory motor neurons in the spinal cord. Electrical stimulation of limb afferents can increase ventilation in healthy humans and animals, but it is not known if limb afferent stimulation can improve breathing following a cervical injury.MethodsWe stimulated the sciatic nerve while using electromyography to measure diaphragm function in anesthetized mice following a cervical (C2) hemisection spinal cord injury, as well as in uninjured controls. The amplitude and frequency of inspiratory bursts was analyzed over a range of stimulation thresholds.ResultsWe show that electrical stimulation (at sufficient current thresholds) of either the left or right sciatic nerve could restore inspiratory activity to the previously paralyzed diaphragm ipsilateral to a C2 hemisection injury at either acute (1 day) or chronic (2 months) stages after injury. We also show that sciatic nerve stimulation can increase the frequency and amplitude of diaphragm inspiratory bursts in uninjured mice.DiscussionOur findings indicate that therapies targeting limb afferents could potentially be used to improve breathing in patients with cervical spinal cord injury and provide an experimental model to further investigate the neural pathways by which limb afferents can increase respiratory muscle activity. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0b3c97c204af48c18ae55805cab1d202 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1662-5110 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Neural Circuits |
| spelling | doaj-art-0b3c97c204af48c18ae55805cab1d2022025-01-22T07:11:16ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neural Circuits1662-51102025-01-011810.3389/fncir.2024.14802911480291Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve restores inspiratory diaphragm function in mice after spinal cord injuryIan Walling0Ian Walling1Sarah Baumgartner2Mitesh Patel3Steven A. Crone4Steven A. Crone5Steven A. Crone6Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United StatesMedical Scientist Training Program, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United StatesDivision of Neurosurgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United StatesNeurobiology Program, University of Cincinnati, College of Arts and Sciences, Cincinnati, OH, United StatesDivision of Neurosurgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United StatesDivision of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United StatesDepartment of Neurosurgery, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, United StatesIntroductionSpinal cord injury in the high cervical cord can impair breathing due to disruption of pathways between brainstem respiratory centers and respiratory motor neurons in the spinal cord. Electrical stimulation of limb afferents can increase ventilation in healthy humans and animals, but it is not known if limb afferent stimulation can improve breathing following a cervical injury.MethodsWe stimulated the sciatic nerve while using electromyography to measure diaphragm function in anesthetized mice following a cervical (C2) hemisection spinal cord injury, as well as in uninjured controls. The amplitude and frequency of inspiratory bursts was analyzed over a range of stimulation thresholds.ResultsWe show that electrical stimulation (at sufficient current thresholds) of either the left or right sciatic nerve could restore inspiratory activity to the previously paralyzed diaphragm ipsilateral to a C2 hemisection injury at either acute (1 day) or chronic (2 months) stages after injury. We also show that sciatic nerve stimulation can increase the frequency and amplitude of diaphragm inspiratory bursts in uninjured mice.DiscussionOur findings indicate that therapies targeting limb afferents could potentially be used to improve breathing in patients with cervical spinal cord injury and provide an experimental model to further investigate the neural pathways by which limb afferents can increase respiratory muscle activity.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncir.2024.1480291/fullspinal cord injuryrespirationnerve stimulationsciatic nervesensory afferentelectromyography |
| spellingShingle | Ian Walling Ian Walling Sarah Baumgartner Mitesh Patel Steven A. Crone Steven A. Crone Steven A. Crone Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve restores inspiratory diaphragm function in mice after spinal cord injury Frontiers in Neural Circuits spinal cord injury respiration nerve stimulation sciatic nerve sensory afferent electromyography |
| title | Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve restores inspiratory diaphragm function in mice after spinal cord injury |
| title_full | Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve restores inspiratory diaphragm function in mice after spinal cord injury |
| title_fullStr | Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve restores inspiratory diaphragm function in mice after spinal cord injury |
| title_full_unstemmed | Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve restores inspiratory diaphragm function in mice after spinal cord injury |
| title_short | Electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve restores inspiratory diaphragm function in mice after spinal cord injury |
| title_sort | electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve restores inspiratory diaphragm function in mice after spinal cord injury |
| topic | spinal cord injury respiration nerve stimulation sciatic nerve sensory afferent electromyography |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncir.2024.1480291/full |
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