The effects of 15 Hz trans-spinal magnetic stimulation on locomotor control in mice with chronic contusive spinal cord injury.

The effects of repetitive trans-spinal magnetic stimulation (rTSMS), combined with acrobatic exercise on functional locomotor recovery in chronic spinal-contused mice were tested. The exposure to magnetic stimulation was initiated 3 weeks after injury, when the animals entered chronic stage. The rTSMS was applied for a total of 4 weeks over a 9-week duration trial. Seventeen mice with the spinal cord contusion injured at level T13 were separated into two groups. While one group consisting of 10 animals was exposed to rTSMS (15 Hz), the other seven animals served as controls. Functional recovery measured with Basso mouse scale and horizontal ladder scale showed significantly better functional recovery in rTSMS-treated animals. The progress in recovery continued even after cessation of magnetic stimulation. In vitro experiments revealed that the release of glutamate analog, radioactive D-aspartate from the segments of the spinal cord exposed to rTSMS was significantly elevated. In conclusion, the exposure to rTSMS, applied to injured spinal cord during chronic post-surgery stage remarkably improves the functional recovery. This recovery may be correlated by magnetically induced elevation in the release of major excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamate from injured tissue.

Therapeutic effects of acrobatic exercise and magnetic field exposure on functional recovery after spinal cord injury in mice.

The effects of acrobatic exercise and magnetic stimulation (MS) in mice applied either separately or in combination while on recovery after spinal cord injury have been investigated. This progress has been compared in six groups of animals. The first two groups consisted of non-injured and injured animals, respectively, which were not exposed to any treatment. The third group included injured animals that participated in an acrobatic exercise and were exposed to MS applied at the frequency of 1 Hz. The animals in the fourth group were exposed to the MS (1 Hz) only, without performing any acrobatic exercises. While the mice in the fifth group participated in the acrobatic exercise and were exposed to MS at 15 Hz, the animals in group six received an acrobatic exercise without exposure to MS. The effects of the treatment were evaluated with the Basso Mouse Scale, the Horizontal Ladder Scale, and the Abnormal Posture Scale. While all groups showed improvement at the end of the study period, the animals that received exercise combined with 1 Hz MS demonstrated the best functional improvement. The animals exposed to the MS applied at a frequency of 15 Hz combined with acrobatic exercise, and those animals that were engaged in exercise and were not exposed to the MS, performed the worst. The area of the spared white matter at the lesion center correlated well with functional recovery and was greatest in the animals that received MS (1 Hz) combined with exercise.