ABSTRACT
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting the primary motor cortex (MI) is expected to provide a therapeutic impact on spinal cord injury (SCI). On the other hand, treatment with antibody against repulsive guidance molecule-a (RGMa) has been shown to ameliorate motor deficits after SCI in rodents and primates. Facilitating activity of the corticospinal tract (CST) by rTMS following rewiring of CST fibers by anti-RGMa antibody treatment may exert an enhanced effect on motor recovery in a primate model of SCI. To address this issue, we examined whether such a combined therapeutic strategy could contribute to accelerating functional restoration from SCI. In our SCI model, unilateral lesions were made between the C6 and the C7 level. Two macaque monkeys were used for each of the combined therapy and antibody treatment alone, while one monkey was for rTMS alone. The antibody treatment was continuously carried out for four weeks immediately after SCI, and rTMS trials applying a thermoplastic mask and a laser distance meter lasted ten weeks. Behavioral assessment was performed over 14 weeks after SCI to investigate the extent to which motor functions were restored with the antibody treatment and/or rTMS. While rTMS without the preceding antibody treatment produced no discernible sign for functional recovery, a combination of the antibody and rTMS exhibited a greater effect, especially at an early stage of rTMS trials, on restoration of dexterous hand movements. The present results indicate that rTMS combined with anti-RGMa antibody treatment may exert a synergistic effect on motor recovery from SCI.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology , Disease Models, Animal , GPI-Linked Proteins/immunology , Nerve Tissue Proteins/immunology , Spinal Cord Injuries/therapy , Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation/methods , Animals , Combined Modality Therapy , Male , Primates , Spinal Cord Injuries/immunology , Spinal Cord Injuries/pathologyABSTRACT
We present a micro-device in which more than 10,000 asymmetric lipid bilayer membranes are formed at a time on micro-chamber arrays. The arrayed asymmetric lipid bilayers, where lipid compositions are different between the inner and outer leaflets, are formed with high efficiency of over 97% by injecting several types of liquids into a micro-device that has hydrophilic-in-hydrophobic surfaces. The lipid compositional asymmetry is an intrinsic property of bio-membranes, and therefore, this micro-device extends the versatility of artificial lipid-bilayer systems, which were previously limited to symmetric bilayer formation, and could contribute to the understanding of the role of lipid compositional asymmetry in cell physiology and also to further analytical and pharmacological applications.