Long-Term Plasticity in Reflex Excitability Induced by Five Weeks of Arm and Leg Cycling Training after Stroke
by
Taryn Klarner 1,2,3, Trevor S. Barss 1,2,3
, Yao Sun 1,2,3, Chelsea Kaupp 1,2,3, Pamela M. Loadman 1 and E. Paul Zehr 1,2,3,4,*
Taryn Klarner 1,2,3, Trevor S. Barss 1,2,3, Yao Sun 1,2,3, Chelsea Kaupp 1,2,3, Pamela M. Loadman 1 and E. Paul Zehr 1,2,3,4,*
1
Rehabilitation Neuroscience Laboratory, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 3P1, Canada
2
Human Discovery Science, International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada
3
Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
4
Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Sheila Schindler-Ivens
Brain Sci. 2016, 6(4), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci6040054
Received: 7 September 2016 / Revised: 22 October 2016 / Accepted: 28 October 2016 / Published: 3 November 2016
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Recovery after Stroke)
Neural connections remain partially viable after stroke, and access to these residual connections provides a substrate for training-induced plasticity. The objective of this project was to test if reflex excitability could be modified with arm and leg (A & L) cycling training. Nineteen individuals with chronic stroke (more than six months postlesion) performed 30 min of A & L cycling training three times a week for five weeks. Changes in reflex excitability were inferred from modulation of cutaneous and stretch reflexes. A multiple baseline (three pretests) within-subject control design was used. Plasticity in reflex excitability was determined as an increase in the conditioning effect of arm cycling on soleus stretch reflex amplitude on the more affected side, by the index of modulation, and by the modulation ratio between sides for cutaneous reflexes. In general, A & L cycling training induces plasticity and modifies reflex excitability after stroke.
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Keywords:
stroke; plasticity; rehabilitation; gait; EMG; reflexes
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Klarner, T.; Barss, T.S.; Sun, Y.; Kaupp, C.; Loadman, P.M.; Zehr, E.P. Long-Term Plasticity in Reflex Excitability Induced by Five Weeks of Arm and Leg Cycling Training after Stroke. Brain Sci. 2016, 6, 54.
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