Spinal cord stimulation assisted by motor rehabilitation training for restoring motorfunction

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the main causes of motor disabilities in people < 50 years of age with devastating physical and social consequences. Spinal cord stimulation, a neuroprosthetic device which requires the implantation of a multielectrode array in the epidural space between the spinal cord and the vertebral bone, is a clinically approved technology for the treatment of neuropathic pain. It has been applied in SCI animal models and thereafter in a limited number of SCI individuals with lower limbs paresis (unable to stand and walk), showing that a motor improvement may be induced. In this talk, Luigi Albano will show the state of the art in the use of spinal cord stimulation combined with motor rehabilitation in paraplegic patients, its effectiveness, mechanism of action, limitations and future implications.