Anatomical plasticity such as fibre growth and the formation of new connections in the cortex and spinal cord is one known mechanism mediating functional recovery after damage to the central nervous system. Little is known about anatomical plasticity in the brainstem, which contains key locomotor regions. We compared changes of the spinal projection pattern of the major descending systems following a cervical unilateral spinal cord hemisection in adult rats. As in humans (Brown-Séquard syndrome), this type of injury resulted in a permanent loss of fine motor control of the ipsilesional fore- and hindlimb, but for basic locomotor functions substantial recovery was observed. Antero- and retrograde tracings revealed spontaneous changes in spinal projections originating from the reticular formation, in particular from the contralesional gigantocellular reticular nucleus: more reticulospinal fibres from the intact hemicord crossed the spinal midline at cervical and lumbar levels. The intact-side rubrospinal tract showed a statistically not significant tendency towards an increased number of midline crossings after injury. In contrast, the corticospinal and the vestibulospinal tract, as well as serotonergic projections, showed little or no side-switching in this lesion paradigm. Spinal adaptations were accompanied by modifications at higher levels of control including side-switching of the input to the gigantocellular reticular nuclei from the mesencephalic locomotor region. Electrolytic microlesioning of one or both gigantocellular reticular nuclei in behaviourally recovered rats led to the reappearance of the impairments observed acutely after the initial injury showing that anatomical plasticity in defined brainstem motor networks contributes significantly to functional recovery after injury of the central nervous system. * Abbreviation : MLR : mesencephalic locomotor region

Treadmill-based gait analysis is widely used to investigate walking pathologies and quantify treatment effects on locomotion. Differential sensorimotor conditions during overground vs. treadmill walking necessitate initial familiarization to treadmill walking. Currently, there is no standardized treadmill acclimatization protocol and insufficient familiarization potentially confounds analyses. We monitored initial adaptations to treadmill walking in 40 healthy adults. Twenty-six walking parameters were assessed over 10 minutes with marker-based kinematic analysis and acclimatization profiles were generated. While 16 walking parameters demonstrated initial acclimatization followed by plateau performance, ten parameters remained stable. Distal lower limb control including ankle range of motion, toe trajectory and foot clearance underwent substantial adaptations. Moreover, intralimb coordination and gait variability also demonstrated acclimatization, while measures of symmetry and interlimb coordination did not. All parameters exhibiting a plateau after acclimatization did so within 6–7 minutes (425 strides). Older participants and those naïve to treadmill walking showed adaptations with higher amplitudes but over similar timescales. Our results suggest a minimum of 6 minutes treadmill acclimatization is required to reach a stable performance, and that this should suffice for both older and naïve healthy adults. The presented data aids in optimizing treadmill-based gait analysis and contributes to improving locomotor assessments in research and clinical settings.

Gait dysfunction is a common and relevant symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aimed to profile gait pathology in gait-impaired patients with MS using comprehensive 3D gait analysis and clinical walking tests. Thirty-seven patients with MS walked on the treadmill at their individual, sustainable speed while 20 healthy control subjects walked at all the different patient’s paces, allowing for comparisons independent of walking velocity. Kinematic analysis revealed pronounced restrictions in knee and ankle joint excursion, increased gait variability and asymmetry along with impaired dynamic stability in patients. The most discriminative single gait parameter, differentiating patients from controls with an accuracy of 83.3% (χ² test; p = 0.0001), was reduced knee range of motion. Based on hierarchical cluster and principal component analysis, three principal pathological gait patterns were identified: a spastic-paretic, an ataxia-like, and an unstable gait. Follow-up assessments after 1 year indicated deterioration of walking function, particularly in patients with spastic-paretic gait patterns. Our findings suggest that impaired knee/ankle control is common in patients with MS. Personalised gait profiles and clustering algorithms may be promising tools for stratifying patients and to inform patient-tailored exercise programs. Responsive, objective outcome measures are important for monitoring disease progression and treatment effects in MS trials.