Electroacupuncture improves gait locomotion, H-reflex and ventral root potentials of spinal compression injured rats

Carlos Escobar-Corona; Sergio Torres-Castillo; Erika Elizabeth Rodríguez-Torres; Bertha Segura-Alegría; Ismael Jiménez-Estrada; Salvador Quiroz-González

doi:10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.02.008

Electroacupuncture improves gait locomotion, H-reflex and ventral root potentials of spinal compression injured rats

Brain Res Bull. 2017 May:131:7-17. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.02.008. Epub 2017 Mar 6.

Authors

Carlos Escobar-Corona¹, Sergio Torres-Castillo², Erika Elizabeth Rodríguez-Torres³, Bertha Segura-Alegría⁴, Ismael Jiménez-Estrada⁵, Salvador Quiroz-González⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, State University of Ecatepec Valley, Av. Central s/n, Esq. Leona Vicario, Col. Valle de Anáhuac, Secc. "A", C.P. 55210, Ecatepec Estado de Mexico, Mexico. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, State University of Ecatepec Valley, Av. Central s/n, Esq. Leona Vicario, Col. Valle de Anáhuac, Secc. "A", C.P. 55210, Ecatepec Estado de Mexico, Mexico. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Center for Research in Mathematics, Hidalgo State Autonomous University, Mexico. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ FES Iztacala, UNAM, Mexico. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ Department of Physiology, Biophysics and Neuroscience, Center for Research and Advanced Studies, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional 2508, Col. San Pedro Zacatenco, AP. 14-740, Mexico City, D.F. CP 07000, Mexico. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ Department of Acupuncture and Rehabilitation, State University of Ecatepec Valley, Av. Central s/n, Esq. Leona Vicario, Col. Valle de Anáhuac, Secc. "A", C.P. 55210, Ecatepec Estado de Mexico, Mexico. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 28274815
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2017.02.008

Abstract

This study explored the effect of electroacupuncture stimulation (EA) on alterations in the Hoffman reflex (H-reflex) response and gait locomotion provoked by spinal cord injury (SCI) in the rat. A compression lesion of the spinal cord was evoked by insufflating a Fogarty balloon located in the epidural space at the T8-9 spinal level of adult Wistar male rats (200-250 gr; n=60). In different groups of SCI rats, EA (frequencies: 2, 50 and 100Hz) was applied simultaneously to Huantiao (GB30), Yinmen (BL37), Jizhong (GV6) and Zhiyang (GV9) acupoints from the third post-injury day until the experimental session. At 1, 2, 3 and 4 post-injury weeks, the BBB scores of the SCI group of rats treated with EA at 50Hz showed a gradual but greater enhancement of locomotor activity than the other groups of rats. Unrestrained gait kinematic analysis of SCI rats treated with EA-50Hz stimulation showed a significant improvement in stride duration, length and speed (p<0.05), whereas a discrete recovery of gait locomotion was observed in the other groups of animals. After four post-injury weeks, the H-reflex amplitude and H-reflex/M wave amplitude ratio obtained in SCI rats had a noticeable enhancement (217%) compared to sham rats (n=10). Meanwhile, SCI rats treated with EA at 50Hz manifested a decreased facilitation of the H-reflex amplitude and H/M amplitude ratio (154%) and a reduced frequency-dependent amplitude depression of the H-reflex (66%). In addition, 50 Hz-EA treatment induced a recovery of the presynaptic depression of the Gs-VRP evoked by PBSt conditioning stimulation in the SCI rat (63.2±8.1%; n=9). In concordance with the latter, it could be suggested that 50 Hz-EA stimulation reduced the hyper-excitability of motoneurons and provokes a partial improvement of the locomotive performance and H reflex responses by a possible recovery of presynaptic mechanisms in the spinal cord of experimentally injured rats.

Keywords: Compression; Electroacupuncture; Hyper-excitability; Spinal cord injury; Ventral root potentials.

MeSH terms

Acupuncture Points
Animals
Electroacupuncture / methods*
Electroacupuncture / veterinary
Gait / physiology
H-Reflex / physiology
Locomotion
Male
Motor Neurons / physiology
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Spinal Cord / physiopathology
Spinal Cord Injuries / therapy*
Spinal Nerve Roots / physiopathology