| Although limited functional recovery is observed following spinal cord injury (SCI), the most successful approach to promote recovery to date has been rehabilitative training. However, the effects of training are not stunning. With a thorough understanding of the intracellular mechanisms involved in training-induced recovery as well as a re-evaluation of the animal models used, it may be possible to enhance training efficacy following SCI. This thesis describes a study in which the cyclic AMP/protein kinase A intracellular signaling pathway was inhibited throughout rehabilitative reaching training in a rat model of incomplete cervical SCI to characterize its role in training-induced recovery. Additionally, a re-evaluation of a single pellet skilled reaching test is described in which an animal model of rehabilitative training and reaching recovery is analyzed. These data contribute to our understanding of rehabilitative training in animal models of SCI and may lead to greater improvements in this treatment approach. |
