Spinal cord injury and the patterns of neuronal plasticityduring motor-rehabilitation training

Motivation: Rehabilitation following spinal cord injury is currently the only means to improve motor function. How macro-and microstructural changes in the CNS promote such recovery is understudied. Goal(s): Investigate training-induced plasticity during motor skill training and explore associations between neuroplasticity and performance. Approach: We compared healthy and SCI trainees and healthy non-trainees using quantitative and diffusion MRI, and associated changes in MRI parameters with performance improvement. Results: SCI patients showed training-induced changes in cortical and subcortical areas, which were akin to those in healthy controls and were linked to specific aspects of motor skill learning. Impact: Motor skill learning in SCI induces neuroplasticity in similar areas as seen in healthy controls. These findings open the possibility to monitor progress in neurorehabilitation.