Spinal Cord Plasticity

The spinal cord has long been viewed as largely a conduit for neural impulses from the body to the brain and the brain to the body, with various reflexes hard wired in the structure to allow for low level control. The past two decades of the 20th century have seen a very different view of the spinal cord emerging from the laboratories of various disciplines. Studies rooted in physiology, psychology, rehabilitation, pain control and regeneration have begun to show that the spinal cord contains neurons whose functional capacities are highly plastic. This book brings together researchers from several of the most exciting areas of spinal cord plasticity research. Collectively, they present not only findings in their areas, but a perspective of the broader emerging picture of spinal cord neural plasticity.