Most new cases of spinal-cord-injured (SCI) persons in Canada have incomplete loss of sensory and/or motor function, but only a minority are able to walk. The study of animal models of spinal cord injury, especially the chronic spinal cat, has shown that monoaminergic drugs can modulate locomotion and spinal reflexes. Clonidine, a noradrenergic agonist, and cyproheptadine, a serotonergic antagonist, have each been associated with improved walking in SCI subjects. Baclofen, a GABA agonist, is frequently prescribed for spasticity in SCI patients, but its effects on walking have not been quantified. The objective of this doctoral project was to compare the effects of clonidine, cyproheptadine and baclofen on walking in incomplete SCI subjects. Subjects were evaluated on a motorized treadmill. Severely disabled subjects required harness support for their evaluations. The treadmill and harness system are described in detail, and their potential uses in the evaluation and rehabilitation of gait are discussed. A repeated single-subject design was employed for the twelve subjects. The greatest effects were found in the the subjects with greater severity of disability. Cyproheptadine was associated with greatly reduced need for assistance, increases in maximum treadmill speed (MTS) and reduced clonus, among other improvements in walking patterns. Clonidine was associated with increases in MTS, and a generally more upright posture, among other improvements in walking patterns. Baclofen was not associated with changes in walking, although two subjects showed small improvements following washout of baclofen. Among subjects with less severe motor disability, drug effects were less marked. Following washout of cyproheptadine or clonidine, subjects frequently retained walking improvements such as increases in MTS and reduced need for assistance that had first been evident in the drug periods. The significance and implications of the drug effects and the retention of effects dur
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.42110 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Norman, Kathleen Elisabeth. |
| Contributors | Barbeau, Hugues (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (School of Physical and Occupational Therapy.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001558684, proquestno: NQ30352, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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