Muscle structure analysis of spinal cord injured rats submitted to electrical stimulation: biomechanical study

• Grant number: 09/09011-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2010
• End date: November 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering - Bioengineering
• Principal Investigator: Antônio Carlos Shimano
• Grantee: Mariana Maloste Butezloff
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Spinal cord is a chronic affliction, with high incidence, that causes permanent and irreversible functional consequences in patients. Some complications of this disease reduce life quality and increase morbidly and mortality. The reduction and absence of muscle trophism is one of the most important complications of the muscle system. Professionals use physiotherapeutic techniques to reduce the loss in muscle trophism in paralyzed muscles. The electrical stimulation is a physiotherapeutic technique that provides depolarization and contraction of muscle. In this way, the artificial muscle contraction may help in the maintenance of muscle trophism or even increase it. The loss of the muscle trophism negatively affects the psychological aspect of patient due to the esthetics alteration of limbs and, contributes to the osteoporosis installation. So, the purpose of the current study will be to evaluate changes in muscle (gastrocnemius) in spinal cord injured rats and, to verify the influence of electrical stimulation in this muscle. We will use 30 rats (220-230g) and divided into 3 groups (n=10 per group): (1) Sham: control group, (2) SC, spinal cord without treatment and (3) SC- ES, spinal cord with electrical stimulation as treatment. Animals will be killed 33 days after surgery and the muscles will be submitted to macroscopic and biomechanical analysis.

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BUTEZLOFF, MARIANA M.; ZAMARIOLI, ARIANE; MARANHO, DANIEL A.; SHIMANO, ANTONIO C.. Effect of Electrical Stimulation and Vibration Therapy on Skeletal Muscle Trophism in Rats with Complete Spinal Cord Injury. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL MEDICINE & REHABILITATION, v. 94, n. 11, p. 950-957, NOV 2015. (09/09011-0)