Strategies and prospects of effective neural circuits reconstruction after spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severely disabling disease that leads to loss of sensation, motor, and autonomic function

Due to the disconnection of surviving neural elements after spinal cord injury (SCI), such patients had to suffer irreversible loss of motor or sensory function, and thereafter enormous economic and emotional burdens were brought to society and family.

The pathophysiology of SCI is complex and multifaceted, and its mechanisms and processes are incompletely understood.

In this review, we summarize the recent progress in biological and engineering strategies for reconstructing neural circuits and promoting functional recovery after SCI, and emphasize current challenges and future directions.

It is believed that in the future we can analyze and record the nerve signals, and regulate the nerve signals through cell transplantation and molecular regulation after SCI. By stimulating local nerve circuits related to sensorimotor control and spinal cord autonomy, the protection, maintenance and even re-bridging of nerve circuits can be achieved. The relevant nerve circuits are fine-tuned, and then the corresponding nerve circuits are trained and strengthened by various rehabilitation methods. It can help the individual with SCI to resume autonomous movement as soon as possible, and ultimately promote the research and treatment of SCI to achieve more enormous breakthroughs in many fields.