Posture of Healthy Subjects Modulated by Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation

• Published in: Life (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 13; no. 9; p. 1909
• Main Authors: Shamantseva, Natalia, Timofeeva, Olga, Gvozdeva, Alisa, Andreeva, Irina, Moshonkina, Tatiana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.09.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Acoustic insulation; Body weight; Cognitive ability; Cognitive style; Disorders; Dorsal roots; Electrical stimuli; Electrodes; Force plates; Health aspects; healthy subjects; Leg; Locomotion; Movement disorders; Muscles; Physiological aspects; postural control; Posture; Spinal cord; Stimulation; supporting leg; Testing; Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation; transcutaneous electrical stimulation; Vertebrae; Russia; postural control; supporting leg; spinal cord; healthy subjects; cognitive style; transcutaneous electrical stimulation
• ISSN: 2075-1729; 2075-1729
• DOI: 10.3390/life13091909

Transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the spinal cord is used to restore locomotion and body weight support in patients with severe motor disorders. We studied the effects of this non-invasive stimulation on postural control in healthy subjects. Stimulation at the L1–L2 vertebrae was performed to activate the extensor muscles of the lower limbs. Because postural regulation depends on the cognitive style, the effects of the stimulation were analyzed separately in field-dependent (FD) and field-independent (FI) participants. During the study, FD and FI participants (N = 16, 25 ± 5 years, all right dominant leg) stood on a force platform in a soundproof chamber with their eyes closed. Stimulation was applied in the midline between the L1 and L2 vertebrae or over the left or right dorsal roots of the spinal cord; under the control condition, there was no stimulation. Stimulation destabilized posture in healthy subjects, whereas patients with movement disorders usually showed an improvement in postural control. In the FD participants, left dorsal root and midline stimulation increased several postural parameters by up to 30%. Dorsal root stimulation on the side of the supporting leg reduced postural control, while stimulation on the side of the dominant leg did not. No significant changes were observed in the FI participants.