Effects of passive pedaling exercise on the intracortical inhibition in subjects with spinal cord injury.
Cortical reorganization can be induced by exercise below the level of the lesion after spinal cord injury (SCI). The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of passive and active pedaling exercise on leg motor cortical area excitability of subjects with traumatic SCI. Ten subjects with chronic cervical or thoracic SCI were enrolled in the study. We found a significant effect of pedaling on short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI), which did not interact with the experimental condition (active vs. passive). This corresponded to a significant reduction of SICI in the subjects with SCI, together with no evidence that this pattern differed for passive vs. active pedaling. We found no significant effect of pedaling on intracortical facilitation. Our results showed that also passive cycling may be beneficial in activating motor cortical regions and possibly also facilitating motor recovery after SCI. The present study confirms and extends the findings of previous studies that have observed task-specific cortical activation during passive pedaling. Therefore passive exercise therapies when applied below the level of the lesion in subjects with SCI could promote cortical neuroplastic reorganization.
Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria. Electronic address: raffaele.nardone@asbmeran-o.it.
Raffaele
R
Nardone
Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
Patrick B
PB
Langthaler
Department of Mathematics, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Austria.
Arne C
AC
Bathke
Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
Yvonne
Y
Höller
Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Merano, Italy; Department of Neurological and Movement Sciences. Section of Clinical Neurology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Francesco
F
Brigo
Department of Neurology, Saarland University Medical Center, Homburg, Germany.
Piergiorgio
P
Lochner
Department of Physiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Monica
M
Christova
Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler Klinik, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Spinal Cord Injury and Tissue Regeneration Center, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
Eugen
E
Trinka
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016552:Ergometry; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009044:Motor Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000473:pathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D050781:Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
Active pedaling; Cortical reorganization; Intracortical inhibition; Passive pedaling; Spinal cord injury; Transcranial magnetic stimulation