Restorative Neurology of Spinal Cord Injury

by Dimitrijevic, Milan R.; Kakulas, Byron A.; McKay, W. Barry; Vrbova, Gerta

• ISBN13: 9780199746507
• ISBN10: 0199746508
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-12-20
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Following injury or disease, neural circuitry can be altered to varying degrees leading to highly individualized characteristics that may or may not resemble original function. In addition, lost or partially damaged circuits and the effects of biological recovery processes coupled with learned compensatory strategies create a new neuroanatomy with capabilities that are often not functional or may interfere with daily life. To date, the majority of approaches used to treat neurological dysfunction have focused on the replacement of lost or damaged function, usually through the suppression of surviving neural activity and the application of mechanical assistive devices.Restorative Neurology of Spinal Cord Injuryoffers a different and novel approach. Focusing on the spinal cord and its role in motor control, the book details the clinical and neurophysiological assessment process and methods developed throughout the past half century by basic and clinical scientists. Then, through the use of specialized clinical and neurophysiological testing methods, conduction and processing performed within the surviving neural circuitry is examined and characterized in detail. Based on the results of such assessment, treatment strategies, also described in this book, are applied to augment, rather than replace, the performance of surviving neural circuitry and improve the functional capacity of people who have experienced injury to their spinal cords.

Author Biography

Milan R. Dimitrijevic, MD, PhD, Principle Investigator of Foundation for Movement Recovery, Oslo, Norway; Emeritus Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.

Byron A. Kakulas, MD, FRACP, FRCPA, FRCPath, Medical Director, Australian Neuromuscular Research Institute, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia.

W. Barry McKay, BS, Research Scientist, Norton Neuroscience Institute, Louisville, Kentucky.

Gerta Vrbová, PhD, Emeritus Professor, Division of Developmental. Neuroscience, University College London;
Visiting Professor, Royal Veterinary College, London, United Kingdom.

Table of Contents

Contributors	p. xvii
The Clinical Practice of Restorative Neurology
Residual Motor Function after Spinal Cord Injury	p. 1
Neurophysiological Principles for the Assessment of Residual Motor Control Below the Spinal Cord Injury in Humans	p. 10
Restorative Neurology of Motor Control after Spinal Cord Injury: Clinical Practice	p. 43
Neurocontrol of Locomotion and Repair of the Injured Spinal Cord
Neural Control of Locomotion	p. 65
Summary of Strategies Used to Repair the Injured Spinal Cord	p. 93
Practical Aspects of Reconstructive Neurosurgery
The Reconstructive Neurosurgery of Spinal Cord Injury	p. 134
Criteria for Biological Interventions for Spinal Cord Injury Repair	p. 169
Assessment of Motor Control in Chronic and Acute Spinal Cord Injury
Neurophysiological Assessment of Human Motor Control and Changes Caused by Spinal Cord Injury	p. 181
Neurophysiological Monitoring of the Human Spinal Cord Functional Integrity during Surgical Interventions	p. 200
Transcutaneous Lumbar Posterior Root Stimulation for Motor Control Studies and Modification of Motor Activity after Spinal Cord Injury	p. 226
Epilogue	p. 256
A Manual for the Neurophysiological Assessment of Motor Control: The Brain Motor Control Assessment (BMCA) Protocol	p. 261
Academic Environment for the Development of Human Motor Control in Ljubljana	p. 2285
Index	p. 301
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