Time-Course Acute Intermittent Hypoxia Therapy in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) interrupt the pathways between the brain and spinal cord, prompting profound impairment in motor control and disability. Despite recent advancements, individuals with SCI have few effective treatment options. A strategy to induce plasticity is exposure to acute intermittent hypoxia (AIH)–which constitutes breathing air containing low concentrations of oxygen (~10%) alternating with normal air (21%), for a brief period of time. AIH has been shown to significantly augment neuromotor function after SCI, as measured by ankle torque, gait speed, gait endurance and muscle EMG. However, the optimal time-course and dosage of this intervention is unknown. This study seeks to establish the time- course the time-course of AIH-induced improvement and decay of outcome (hand strength) in individuals with chronic incomplete cervical SCI. Grip strength and pinch strength was tested before and for five hours after a single session of AIH. Preliminary data suggests that AIH improves voluntary hand function in persons with SCI. It appears that effects of AIH persist longer than one hour. Experiments with a larger sample size are currently in progress. This study can ultimately determine the extent to which AIH therapy can improve overall function and quality of life in individuals with SCI