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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Hum. Neurosci.
Sec. Brain Health and Clinical Neuroscience
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2024.1478423
This article is part of the Research Topic Sensorimotor Decoding: Characterization and Modeling for Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Vol II View all articles

Neurostimulation on lumbosacral nerves as a new treatment for spinal cord injury impairments and its impact on cortical activity: a narrative review

Provisionally accepted
Rodrigo Lantyer Rodrigo Lantyer 1*Diego N. Vilela Diego N. Vilela 1Mariana Cardoso Melo Mariana Cardoso Melo 2Gustavo Fernandes Gustavo Fernandes 3,4,5Nucelio Lemos Nucelio Lemos 3,4,6Jean Faber Jean Faber 1,2
  • 1 Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 2 Division of Biomedical Engineering, Institute of Science and Technology, Federal University of São Paulo, São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 3 Department of Gynecology, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 4 Department of Gynecology and Neuropelveology, Increasing-Institute of Care and Rehabilitation in Neuropelveology and Gynecology, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 5 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Sciences, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 6 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Spinal cord injury (SCI) can cause significant motor, sensory, and autonomic dysfunction by disrupting neural connections. As a result, it is a global health challenge that requires innovative interventions to improve outcomes. This review assesses the wide-ranging impacts of SCI and focuses on the Laparoscopic Implantation of Neuroprosthesis (LION) as an emerging and promising rehabilitation technique. The LION technique involves the surgical implantation of electrodes on lumbosacral nerves to stimulate paralyzed muscles. Recent findings have demonstrated significant improvements in mobility, sexual function, and bladder/bowel control in chronic SCI patients following LION therapy. This manuscript revisits the potential physiological mechanisms underlying these results, including neuroplasticity and modulation of autonomic activity. Additionally, we discuss potential future applications and amendments of LION therapy. This study emphasizes the potential of neuromodulation as a complementary approach to traditional rehabilitation, that can provide a beacon of hope for improving functionality and quality of life for individuals with SCI.

    Keywords: Neuromodulation, spinal cord injury, laparoscopic neuroprosthesis, Sensorimotor rehabilitation, Neural Stimulation

    Received: 15 Aug 2024; Accepted: 29 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Lantyer, N. Vilela, Cardoso Melo, Fernandes, Lemos and Faber. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Rodrigo Lantyer, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, 04023-062, São Paulo, Brazil

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.