Recovery of Locomotion and Skilled Forelimb Function After Spinal Cord Injury in Rats: Effects of Transplants and Neurotrophic Factors

Spinal cord injury (SCI) removes descending input to spinal cord circuitry and results in loss of function below the level of injury. Interventions designed to increase the intrinsic capacity of CNS neurons for growth and other interventions to create a favorable environment at and below the lesion site result in increased regrowth and recovery of function. It is unlikely that any single intervention will restore function completely. After SCI in rats, transplants of fetal spinal cord tissue and the exogenous application of neurotrophic factors restore supraspinal input and permit recovery of skilled movement and locomotion. Delay of treatment leads to greater axon regeneration and recovery of function than immediate application of transplants and neurotrophic factors.