Combination Therapy to Improve SCI Recovery.

The goal of the study is to determine whether repeatedly breathing mild bouts of low oxygen for brief periods (termed acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH)) combined with transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSTIM) improves recovery of walking and strength after spinal cord injury. This idea stems from animal studies on respiration, in which investigators showed that mild AIH improves breathing in rats with spinal injuries as well as studies involving spinal cord stimulation. These studies showed that AIH induces plasticity, strengthening neural connections by increasing the production of key proteins and improving the sensitivity of spinal cord circuitry. Additional studies have shown that tSTIM may enhance function and strength for people with spinal cord injuries. The ultimate goal of this research is to assess if combining AIH and tSTIM with walking training can enhance individuals walking training greater than just AIH or tSTIM. By using low oxygen as a pre-treatment to tSTIM during walking training, functional independence and quality of life for servicemen and civilians may improve.