title: Electroacupuncture improves gait locomotion, H-reflex and ventral root potentials of spinal compression injured rats.
abstract: This study explored the effect of electroacupuncture stimulation (EA) on alterations in the Hoffman reflex (H-reflex) response and gait locomotion provoked by spinal cord injury (SCI) in the rat. A compression lesion of the spinal cord was evoked by insufflating a Fogarty balloon located in the epidural space at the T8-9 spinal level of adult Wistar male rats (200-250 gr; n=60). In different groups of SCI rats, EA (frequencies: 2, 50 and 100Hz) was applied simultaneously to Huantiao (GB30), Yinmen (BL37), Jizhong (GV6) and Zhiyang (GV9) acupoints from the third post-injury day until the experimental session. At 1, 2, 3 and 4 post-injury weeks, the BBB scores of the SCI group of rats treated with EA at 50Hz showed a gradual but greater enhancement of locomotor activity than the other groups of rats. Unrestrained gait kinematic analysis of SCI rats treated with EA-50Hz stimulation showed a significant improvement in stride duration, length and speed (p<0.05), whereas a discrete recovery of gait locomotion was observed in the other groups of animals. After four post-injury weeks, the H-reflex amplitude and H-reflex/M wave amplitude ratio obtained in SCI rats had a noticeable enhancement (217%) compared to sham rats (n=10). Meanwhile, SCI rats treated with EA at 50Hz manifested a decreased facilitation of the H-reflex amplitude and H/M amplitude ratio (154%) and a reduced frequency-dependent amplitude depression of the H-reflex (66%). In addition, 50 Hz-EA treatment induced a recovery of the presynaptic depression of the Gs-VRP evoked by PBSt conditioning stimulation in the SCI rat (63.2±8.1%; n=9). In concordance with the latter, it could be suggested that 50 Hz-EA stimulation reduced the hyper-excitability of motoneurons and provokes a partial improvement of the locomotive performance and H reflex responses by a possible recovery of presynaptic mechanisms in the spinal cord of experimentally injured rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, State University of Ecatepec Valley, Av. Central s/n, Esq. Leona Vicario, Col. Valle de Anáhuac, Secc. "A", C.P. 55210, Ecatepec Estado de Mexico, Mexico. Electronic address: kalitos_33@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Escobar-Corona
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, State University of Ecatepec Valley, Av. Central s/n, Esq. Leona Vicario, Col. Valle de Anáhuac, Secc. "A", C.P. 55210, Ecatepec Estado de Mexico, Mexico. Electronic address: sergiotorcas@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Torres-Castillo
authors.affiliation: Center for Research in Mathematics, Hidalgo State Autonomous University, Mexico. Electronic address: erikart@uaeh.edu.mx.
authors.forename: Erika Elizabeth
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Torres
authors.affiliation: FES Iztacala, UNAM, Mexico. Electronic address: bsegura@campus.iztacala.unam.mx.
authors.forename: Bertha
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Segura-Alegría
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neuroscience, Center for Research and Advanced Studies, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, AP. 14-740, Mexico City, D.F. CP 07000, Mexico. Electronic address: ijimenez@fisio.cinvestav.mx.
authors.forename: Ismael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Jiménez-Estrada
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, State University of Ecatepec Valley, Av. Central s/n, Esq. Leona Vicario, Col. Valle de Anáhuac, Secc. "A", C.P. 55210, Ecatepec Estado de Mexico, Mexico. Electronic address: sqg20@yahoo.com.mx.
authors.forename: Salvador
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Quiroz-González
mesh_terms: D015669:Acupuncture Points; D000818:Animals; D015671:Electroacupuncture / Q000379:methods* / Q000662:veterinary; D005684:Gait / Q000502:physiology; D006181:H-Reflex / Q000502:physiology; D008124:Locomotion; D008297:Male; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000503:physiopathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D013126:Spinal Nerve Roots / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Compression; Electroacupuncture; Hyper-excitability; Spinal cord injury; Ventral root potentials