Coordinated neurostimulation promotes circuit rewiring and unlocks recovery after spinal cord injury.

Functional recovery after incomplete spinal cord injury depends on the effective rewiring of neuronal circuits. Here, we show that selective chemogenetic activation of either corticospinal projection neurons or intraspinal relay neurons alone led to anatomically restricted plasticity and little functional recovery. In contrast, coordinated stimulation of both supraspinal centers and spinal relay stations resulted in marked and circuit-specific enhancement of neuronal rewiring, shortened EMG latencies, and improved locomotor recovery.

Selective plasticity of callosal neurons in the adult contralesional cortex following murine traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in deficits that are often followed by recovery. The contralesional cortex can contribute to this process but how distinct contralesional neurons and circuits respond to injury remains to be determined. To unravel adaptations in the contralesional cortex, we used chronic in vivo two-photon imaging.

A deep learning-based toolbox for Automated Limb Motion Analysis (ALMA) in murine models of neurological disorders.

In neuroscience research, the refined analysis of rodent locomotion is complex and cumbersome, and access to the technique is limited because of the necessity for expensive equipment. In this study, we implemented a new deep learning-based open-source toolbox for Automated Limb Motion Analysis (ALMA) that requires only basic behavioral equipment and an inexpensive camera. The ALMA toolbox enables the consistent and comprehensive analyses of locomotor kinematics and paw placement and can be applied to neurological conditions affecting the brain and spinal cord.