title: Functional Recovery from Neural Stem/Progenitor Cell Transplantation Combined with Treadmill Training in Mice with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury.
abstract: Most studies targeting chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) have concluded that neural stem/progenitor cell (NS/PC) transplantation exerts only a subclinical recovery; this in contrast to its remarkable effect on acute and subacute SCI. To determine whether the addition of rehabilitative intervention enhances the effect of NS/PC transplantation for chronic SCI, we used thoracic SCI mouse models to compare manifestations secondary to both transplantation and treadmill training, and the two therapies combined, with a control group. Significant locomotor recovery in comparison with the control group was only achieved in the combined therapy group. Further investigation revealed that NS/PC transplantation improved spinal conductivity and central pattern generator activity, and that treadmill training promoted the appropriate inhibitory motor control. The combined therapy enhanced these independent effects of each single therapy, and facilitated neuronal differentiation of transplanted cells and maturation of central pattern generator activity synergistically. Our data suggest that rehabilitative treatment represents a therapeutic option for locomotor recovery after NS/PC transplantation, even in chronic SCI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Syoichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tashiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Soraya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwai
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugai
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.|Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.|Department of Neuroscience, City College of the City University of New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Munehisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shinozaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iwanami
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Toyama
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Meigen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okano
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000379:methods*; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation