Regulation of locomotor activity by epidural and transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation in the human and animals

Comparative analysis of motor activity induced by electrical epidural stimulation (EES) and transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the spinal cord (TES) both in human and animals has been perfmormed. ESS of lumbar spinal cord by rectangular bipolar impulses with frequency from 5 to 30 Hz initiated step-like movements in decerebrated and spinal animals as well as in individuals with pathology of the spinal cord. It was found that continuous TES over T11-T12 vertebrae by impulses filled with a carrier frequency of 10 kHz induced involuntary locomotor-like stepping hindlimb movements in subjects with their legs in a gravity-neutral position. New data demonstrating the effects of TES at lumbosacral enlargement in decerebrated and chronical spinal cats are shown. Similar locomotor patterns produced by EES and TES allows to suggest the comparable mechanisms of their regulation. It has been suggested that TES can be used as a non-invasive method in rehabilitation of spinal pathology.