Pushing the Limits of Interlimb Connectivity: Neuromodulation and Beyond

Abstract

The ability to walk is often lost after neural injury, leading to multiple secondary complications that reduce quality of life and increase healthcare costs. The current rehabilitation interventions primarily focus on restoring leg movements through intensive training on a treadmill or using robotic devices, but ignore engaging the arms. Several groups have recently shown that simultaneous arm and leg (A&L) cycling improves walking function and interlimb connectivity. These findings highlight the importance of neuronal pathways between the arm (cervical) and leg (lumbar) control regions in the spinal cord during locomotion, and emphasize the need for activating these pathways to improve walking after neural injury or disease. While the findings to date provide important evidence about actively including the arms in walking rehabilitation, these strategies have yet to be optimized. Moreover, improvements beyond A&L cycling alone may be possible with conjunctive targeted strategies to enhance spinal interlimb connectivity. The aim of this review is to highlight the current evidence for improvements in walking function and neural interlimb connectivity after neural injury or disease with cycling-based rehabilitation paradigms. Furthermore, strategies to enhance the outcomes of A&L cycling as a rehabilitation strategy are explored. These include the use of functional electrical stimulation-assisted cycling in acute care settings, utilizing non-invasive transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation to activate previously inaccessible circuitry in the spinal cord, and the use of paired arm and leg rehabilitation robotics. This review aims to consolidate the effects of exercise interventions that incorporate the arms on improved outcomes for walking, functional mobility, and neurological integrity, underscoring the importance of integrating the arms into the rehabilitation of walking after neurological conditions affecting sensorimotor function.