Impact of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) level on Cortical Reorganization

Motivation: We aimed to fill the knowledge gap regarding the impact of spinal cord injury (SCI) level on cortical reorganization. Goal(s): We sought to investigate cortical reorganization patterns in chronic SCI patients, specifically differentiating between cervical and thoracic injuries. Approach: Employing graph theory analysis of functional connectivity, we analyzed data from 32 chronic SCI patients and 32 healthy controls. Results: Significant alterations in somatomotor and visual networks in SCI cohort was observed. Notably, those with thoracic injuries exhibited more pronounced functional segregation within the somatomotor network, dividing it into dorsolateral and paramedian SMN regions and a ventrolateral SMN region. Impact: Our findings on the influence of SCI level on brain reorganization may impact clinicians, researchers, and rehabilitation specialists, guiding tailored interventions and raising new questions about optimizing SCI recovery.