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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Neuroprosthetics
Volume 18 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1467182
This article is part of the Research Topic Exoskeleton Gait Training View all 5 articles

Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation modulates quiet standing in healthy adults: stimulation site and cognitive style matter

Provisionally accepted
Natalia Shamantseva Natalia Shamantseva *Olga Timofeeva Olga Timofeeva Varvara Semenova Varvara Semenova Irina Andreeva Irina Andreeva Tatiana Moshonkina Tatiana Moshonkina
  • Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia

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

    The study explored the effects of transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (tES) on postural control. Subjects were divided into field-dependent (FD) and field-independent (FI) groups according to their cognitive style. FD subjects use an exteroceptive afferent stream for spatial orientation, while FI subjects use an interoceptive stream. In darkness, vertical posture is maintained by head-trunk stabilisation in FD subjects and by independent movements of body segments in FI subjects. Previously, we showed that tES at the L1-L2 vertebral level decreased postural stability in FD subjects. Now, stimulation was applied at the T11-T12 vertebral level (midline, above the left or right dorsal roots). Quiet standing was assessed using stabilometry in 18 FD and FI participants. Participants stood on a force platform in soundproof chamber with eyes closed during tES. Midline and left tES significantly improved postural stability by up to 28% in FD participants, while posture did not change significantly in FI participants. Pronounced differences between the effects of T11-T12 and L1-L2 stimulation are associated with selective topographical activation of proximal and distal leg muscles during tES of the lumbar enlargement. This study highlights the importance of considering cognitive style in postural control research.

    Keywords: Postural control, Postural strategy, Spinal Cord, Transcutaneous electrical stimulation, Neuromodulation, healthy subjects, cognitive style

    Received: 19 Jul 2024; Accepted: 02 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Shamantseva, Timofeeva, Semenova, Andreeva and Moshonkina. 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: Natalia Shamantseva, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg, Russia

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