Effects of Activity-Dependent Plasticity on Bowel Function After Spinal Cord Injury

Bowel complications after spinal cord injury (SCI) have been repeatedly rated as a primary concern by this population. In most surveys, bowel concerns rate as higher priority than being able to walk again. There currently exists an insufficient amount of research on the topic of basic bowel function after SCI in animals and therefore a lack of an appropriate model to develop treatments to improve function. The major impairment of quality of life caused by bowel complications must therefore stimulate research so that mechanisms can be understood, and treatments developed. The current proposal represents an attempt to fill a gap the literature regarding the effect of SCI on colonic motility and anorectal dynamics in rats. To develop quantifiable outcome measures in an experimental SCI rodent animal model for future use by SCI investigators, the current experiments are designed to collect baseline outcome data on colonic motility and rectal/anal sphincter dynamics at multiple time-points after incomplete SCI (Aim 1) and demonstrate utility by assessing the impact of locomotor training (Aim 2; based on evidence from our ongoing human studies), a widely used rehabilitation strategy which has shown non-locomotor benefits, including improvements in urological function (Hubscher Lab; in both humans and in a rodent contusion model). The anorectal manometry methods that will be employed mimic those used in humans to determine descending bowel dysfunction and will therefore be ideally suited to promote future translation of the basic science bowel outcome data to the clinic.