Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2006-11-28
pubmed:abstractText
Training and evaluation of locomotion in animals with spinal cord injury will likely be improved with the development of techniques that increase stepping activity. We hypothesized that robot-assisted extension of the hindlimbs of spinal cord injured rats during stance would increase the probability that the swing phase of gait would be initiated. Thirty-three adult, Sprague-Dawley rats received a contusion injury to the mid-thoracic spinal cord. The animals' hindlimbs were pulled into extension using small robotic arms to pull at the ankle, as the rat stepped on either a reciprocating, robotic paw platform or a conventional treadmill belt. The animals demonstrated an increase in the probability of swing initiation with spontaneous recovery during the first 4 weeks following injury (p < 0.0001). The probability of swing initiation was found to be greater with the use of robot-assisted extension versus no extension force at the ankle (75+/-16.9% versus 38.9+/-16.6%, p < 0.001). Swing initiation occurred most frequently at a particular distance of hindlimb extension (50 mm caudal from the neutral position at stance), but was broadly tuned about this distance. These results indicate that a greater amount of stepping activity can be elicited by robot-assisted extension, thereby providing possible benefits to evaluation and training of gait following SCI.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
0165-0270
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
15
pubmed:volume
159
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
66-77
pubmed:dateRevised
2007-12-3
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2007
pubmed:articleTitle
Robot-assisted hindlimb extension increases the probability of swing initiation during treadmill walking by spinal cord contused rats.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Center for Biomedical Engineering, 4200 Engineering Gateway (E3225), University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-3975, USA. janessler@csupomona.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural