As published in Frontiers in Neuroscience
by lead author Dr. Bonnie E. Legg Ditterline
Four individuals with chronic, motor-complete cervical spinal cord injury were implanted with a stimulator over the lumbosacral enlargement. We assessed the cardiac structure and function before and after spinal cord epidural stimulation (scES) with task-specific interventions and found significant improvements to cardiac structure, systolic function, and diastolic function. Despite the pilot nature of this study, statistically significant improvements demonstrate scES interventions led to beneficial cardiac remodeling, which can reverse atrophic changes that result from spinal cord injury.
Long-term improvements to cardiac function have implications for increased quality of life and improved cardiovascular health in individuals with spinal cord injury, decreasing the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
This publication was authored by:
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- Bonnie E. Legg Ditterline, PhD
- Shelley Wade, BA, RDCS
- Beatrice Ugiliweneza, PhD, MSPH
- Narayana Sarma Singam, MD
- Susan J. Harkema, PhD
- Marcus F. Stoddard, MD, FACC, FAHA, FASE
- Glenn A. Hirsch, MD, MS, FACC
Read the Complete Article in Frontiers in Neuroscience.