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Ho JC, Grigsby EM, Damiani A, Liang L, Balaguer JM, Kallakuri S, Barrios-Martinez J, Karapetyan V, Fields D, Gerszten PC, Kevin Hitchens T, Constantine T, Adams GM, Crammond DJ, Capogrosso M, Gonzalez-Martinez JA, Pirondini E. POTENTIATION OF CORTICO-SPINAL OUTPUT VIA TARGETED ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF THE MOTOR THALAMUS. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.03.08.23286720. [PMID: 36945514 PMCID: PMC10029067 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.08.23286720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/10/2023]
Abstract
Cerebral white matter lesions prevent cortico-spinal descending inputs from effectively activating spinal motoneurons, leading to loss of motor control. However, in most cases, the damage to cortico-spinal axons is incomplete offering a potential target for new therapies aimed at improving volitional muscle activation. Here we hypothesized that, by engaging direct excitatory connections to cortico-spinal motoneurons, stimulation of the motor thalamus could facilitate activation of surviving cortico-spinal fibers thereby potentiating motor output. To test this hypothesis, we identified optimal thalamic targets and stimulation parameters that enhanced upper-limb motor evoked potentials and grip forces in anesthetized monkeys. This potentiation persisted after white matter lesions. We replicated these results in humans during intra-operative testing. We then designed a stimulation protocol that immediately improved voluntary grip force control in a patient with a chronic white matter lesion. Our results show that electrical stimulation targeting surviving neural pathways can improve motor control after white matter lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan C. Ho
- School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 3550 Terrace St, Pittsburgh, PA, USA 15213
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Fifth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Erinn M. Grigsby
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Fifth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, 3471 Fifth Avenue, Suite 910, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Arianna Damiani
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Fifth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 151 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15261
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Suite 115, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Lucy Liang
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Fifth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 151 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15261
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Suite 115, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Josep-Maria Balaguer
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Fifth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 151 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15261
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Suite 115, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Sridula Kallakuri
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Fifth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, A210 Langley Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15260
| | - Jessica Barrios-Martinez
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, suite b-400, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Vahagn Karapetyan
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Fifth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 151 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15261
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Suite 115, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Daryl Fields
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Fifth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, suite b-400, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Peter C. Gerszten
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, suite b-400, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - T. Kevin Hitchens
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, Room E1440, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Theodora Constantine
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, suite b-400, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Gregory M. Adams
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, suite b-400, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Donald J. Crammond
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, suite b-400, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Marco Capogrosso
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Fifth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 151 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15261
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Suite 115, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, suite b-400, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Jorge A. Gonzalez-Martinez
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, suite b-400, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, Room E1440, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
| | - Elvira Pirondini
- Rehab Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, 3520 Fifth Avenue, Suite 300, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, 3471 Fifth Avenue, Suite 910, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, 151 Benedum Hall, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15261
- Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Suite 115, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, suite b-400, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh, 200 Lothrop Street, Room E1440, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 15213
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Balaguer JM, Prat-Ortega G, Verma N, Yadav P, Sorensen E, de Freitas R, Ensel S, Borda L, Donadio S, Liang L, Ho J, Damiani A, Grigsby E, Fields DP, Gonzalez-Martinez JA, Gerszten PC, Fisher LE, Weber DJ, Pirondini E, Capogrosso M. SUPRASPINAL CONTROL OF MOTONEURONS AFTER PARALYSIS ENABLED BY SPINAL CORD STIMULATION. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.11.29.23298779. [PMID: 38076797 PMCID: PMC10705627 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.29.23298779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) restores motor control after spinal cord injury (SCI) and stroke. This evidence led to the hypothesis that SCS facilitates residual supraspinal inputs to spinal motoneurons. Instead, here we show that SCS does not facilitate residual supraspinal inputs but directly triggers motoneurons action potentials. However, supraspinal inputs can shape SCS-mediated activity, mimicking volitional control of motoneuron firing. Specifically, by combining simulations, intraspinal electrophysiology in monkeys and single motor unit recordings in humans with motor paralysis, we found that residual supraspinal inputs transform subthreshold SCS-induced excitatory postsynaptic potentials into suprathreshold events. We then demonstrated that only a restricted set of stimulation parameters enables volitional control of motoneuron firing and that lesion severity further restricts the set of effective parameters. Our results explain the facilitation of voluntary motor control during SCS while predicting the limitations of this neurotechnology in cases of severe loss of supraspinal axons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josep-Maria Balaguer
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Genis Prat-Ortega
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Nikhil Verma
- Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Prakarsh Yadav
- Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Erynn Sorensen
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Roberto de Freitas
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Scott Ensel
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Luigi Borda
- Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Serena Donadio
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Lucy Liang
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Jonathan Ho
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Arianna Damiani
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Erinn Grigsby
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Daryl P. Fields
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | | | - Peter C. Gerszten
- Dept. of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Lee E. Fisher
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Douglas J. Weber
- Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, US
- Neuroscience Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Elvira Pirondini
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
| | - Marco Capogrosso
- Rehab and Neural Engineering Labs, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
- Dept. of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, US
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