Recovery from serious neurological injury requires substantial rewiring of neural circuits. Precisely-timed electrical stimulation could be used to restore corrective feedback mechanisms and promote adaptive plasticity after neurological insult, such as spinal cord injury (SCI) or stroke. This study provides the first evidence that closed-loop vagus nerve stimulation (CLV) based on the synaptic eligibility trace leads to dramatic recovery from the most common forms of SCI. The addition of CLV to rehabilitation promoted substantially more recovery of forelimb function compared to rehabilitation alone following chronic unilateral or bilateral cervical SCI in a rat model. Triggering stimulation on the most successful movements is critical to maximize recovery. CLV enhances recovery by strengthening synaptic connectivity from remaining motor networks to the grasping muscles in the forelimb. The benefits of CLV persist long after the end of stimulation because connectivity in critical neural circuits has been restored.

中文翻译：

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闭环神经调节恢复脊髓损伤后的网络连接和运动控制

从严重的神经损伤中恢复需要大量的神经回路重新布线。精确定时的电刺激可用于在神经损伤（如脊髓损伤 (SCI) 或中风）后恢复矫正反馈机制并促进适应性可塑性。这项研究提供了第一个证据，即基于突触资格跟踪的闭环迷走神经刺激 (CLV) 导致从最常见的 SCI 形式中显着恢复。在大鼠模型中，慢性单侧或双侧颈椎 SCI 后，与单独康复相比，将 CLV 添加到康复中显着促进了前肢功能的恢复。对最成功的动作进行刺激对于最大限度地恢复至关重要。CLV 通过加强从剩余运动网络到前肢抓握肌肉的突触连接来增强恢复。CLV 的好处在刺激结束后很长一段时间内仍然存在，因为关键神经回路的连接已经恢复。