Spinal Neuromodulation for Respiratory Rehabilitation in Patients with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome.

(1) Background: Neurological deficits associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) exacerbate respiratory dysfunction, necessitating rehabilitation strategies that address both. Previous studies have demonstrated that spinal cord transcutaneous stimulation (scTS) can facilitate the excitation of respiratory spinal neural networks in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome. This study evaluates the efficacy of combining scTS with respiratory training (RT) to improve respiratory function in individuals with post-COVID-19 pulmonary deficits; (2) Methods: In this before-after, case-controlled clinical trial, five individuals with post-acute COVID-19 respiratory deficits participated in two interventional programs: 10 daily sessions of respiratory training (RT), followed by 10 daily sessions of scTS combined with RT (scTS + RT).

Effect of Hindlimb Unloading on Hamstring Muscle Activity in Rats.

Introduction: The changes in knee axial rotation play an important role in traumatic and non-traumatic knee disorders. It is known that support afferentation can affect the axial rotator muscles. The condition of innervation of the semitendinosus (ST) and biceps femoris posterior (BFp) has changed in non-terrestrial and terrestrial vertebrates in evolution; thus, we hypothesized this situation might be replayed by hindlimb unloading (HU).

Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation Facilitates Respiratory Functional Performance in Patients with Post-Acute COVID-19.

Background: A growing number of studies have reported Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) related to both respiratory and central nervous system dysfunctions. This study evaluates the neuromodulatory effects of spinal cord transcutaneous stimulation (scTS) on the respiratory functional state in healthy controls and patients with post-COVID-19 respiratory deficits as a step toward the development of a rehabilitation strategy for these patients.

Methods: In this before-after, interventional, case-controlled clinical study, ten individuals with post-acute COVID-19 respiratory deficits and eight healthy controls received a single twenty-minute-long session of modulated monophasic scTS delivered over the T5 and T10 spinal cord segments.

Alteration of Postural Reactions in Rats with Different Levels of Dopamine Depletion.

Dopamine (DA) is the critical neurotransmitter involved in the unconscious control of muscle tone and body posture. We evaluated the general motor capacities and muscle responses to postural disturbance in three conditions: normal DA level (wild-type rats, WT), mild DA deficiency (WT after administration of α-methyl-p-tyrosine-AMPT, that blocks DA synthesis), and severe DA depletion (DAT-KO rats after AMPT). The horizontal displacements in WT rats elicited a multi-component EMG corrective response in the flexor and extensor muscles.

Perception of length and orientation in dry immersion.

Introduction: How does gravity (or lack thereof) affect sensory-motor processing? We analyze sensorimotor estimation dynamics for line segments with varying direction (orientation) in a 7-day dry immersion (DI), a ground-based model of gravitational unloading.

Methods: The measurements were carried out before the start of the DI, on the first, third, fifth and seventh days of the DI, and after its completion. At the memorization stage, the volunteers led the leading hand along the visible segment on a touchscreen display, and at the reproduction stage they repeated this movement on an empty screen.