Neurorehabilitation and neural repair
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Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Nov 2016
Multicenter StudyCOMT and ANKK1 Genetics Interact With Depression to Influence Behavior Following Severe TBI: An Initial Assessment.
Genetic variations in the dopamine (DA) system are associated with cortical-striatal behavior in multiple populations. This study assessed associations of functional polymorphisms in the ankyrin repeat and kinase domain (ANKK1; Taq1a) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT; Val158Met) genes with behavioral dysfunction following traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ In the context of depression, Val158Met and Taq1a polymorphisms are individually associated with behavioral dysfunction 12 months following severe TBI, with preliminary evidence suggesting cumulative, or perhaps epistatic, effects of COMT and ANKK1 on behavioral dysfunction.
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Neurorehabil Neural Repair · Nov 2016
Case ReportsEngaging Cervical Spinal Cord Networks to Reenable Volitional Control of Hand Function in Tetraplegic Patients.
Paralysis of the upper limbs from spinal cord injury results in an enormous loss of independence in an individual's daily life. Meaningful improvement in hand function is rare after 1 year of tetraparesis. Therapeutic developments that result in even modest gains in hand volitional function will significantly affect the quality of life for patients afflicted with high cervical injury. The ability to neuromodulate the lumbosacral spinal circuitry via epidural stimulation in regaining postural function and volitional control of the legs has been recently shown. A key question is whether a similar neuromodulatory strategy can be used to improve volitional motor control of the upper limbs, that is, performance of motor tasks considered to be less "automatic" than posture and locomotion. In this study, the effects of cervical epidural stimulation on hand function are characterized in subjects with chronic cervical cord injury. ⋯ The present data are sufficient to suggest that hand motor function in individuals with chronic tetraplegia can be improved with cervical cord neuromodulation and thus should be comprehensively explored as a possible clinical intervention.