Investigating the Effect of Neuro-Motor Rehabilitation on Myelin Regeneration after Spinal Cord Injury Model in Rats

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a critical neurological condition that may impair motor, sensory, and autonomic functions. Spinal cord injury severely affects the independence and quality of life of the injured person and his family. At the cellular level, inflammation, impaired axonal regeneration, and neuronal death are responsible for complications after SCI. Due to the high mortality rate and complications caused by SCI, there is a need for effective treatment. Despite the advances made in SCI repair, the optimal treatment for complete recovery after SCI has not yet been found. The goal of therapeutic interventions in spinal cord injury is to prevent the further expansion of the injury and repair the damaged tissue. At the functional level, existing treatments focus on techniques that aim to restore some degree of walking or motor activity. One of these techniques is learning to walk on a treadmill.

In this study, we have investigated the impact of treadmill training on the restoration of motor ability, as well as the myelination and repair of neurons in rats with a contusion model. The assessment involved two groups: the sham group (experiencing a lesion without movement rehabilitation) and the treatment group (undergoing a lesion followed by movement rehabilitation).

Motor rehabilitation with a treadmill improved the motor performance of animals compared to the sham group. However, it did not affect sensory function. The motor rehabilitation group showed a significant increase in the sucrose test compared to the sham group. The size of the spinal cord lesion cavity and nerve tissue repair showed a significant decrease in the rehabilitation group compared to the sham group.

The results of this study showed that motor neurorehabilitation contributes to the restoration and enhancement of cell function, affecting not only functional and behavioral functions but also the tissue and cellular recovery.