SPINAL-CORD STIMULATION-INDUCED LOCOMOTION IN THE ADULT CAT

Epidural and subdural stimulation of the dorsal surface of the spinal cord was found to elicit locomotion in the decerebrate cat in the active and fictive locomotion preparations. Stimulation of the cervical enlargement induced stepping in all four limbs, while stimulation of the lumbosacral enlargement induced hindlimb stepping. Lumbosacral enlargement stimulation induced hindlimb locomotion starting four hours following an acute midthoracic spinal cord transection. The preservation of the overall locomotor pattern and relationships between muscle groups, and of coordination between hindlimbs following transection, suggests that lumbar enlargement stimulation may be activating an intrinsically organized system. These findings suggest a method which may be applied clinically for the induction of limb alternation following epidural stimulation of the spinal cord.