Methods for treating central nervous system damage

1. A method for treating multiple sclerosis central nervous system (CNS) damage in a mammalian subject in need of such treatment comprising

inducing a therapeutically effective amount of functional electrical stimulation (FES)-evoked patterned movement in a mammalian subject for a period of time sufficient to regenerate neural cells; and

monitoring the mammalian subject for CNS neural regeneration or CNS motor function;

wherein

the patterned movement occurs during exposure to FES; and

at least a portion of lost motor function or sensory function of the mammalian subject lost is restored.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the therapeutically effective amount of FES-evoked patterned movement promotes neural cell birth.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the therapeutically effective amount of FES-evoked patterned movement enhances neural cell survival.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the therapeutically effective amount of FES-evoked patterned movement enhances neural signal transmission capacity.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4 wherein the therapeutically effective amount of FES-evoked patterned movement initiates synaptic changes in neural cells such that the neural cells reconfigure with neural cells to form new synaptic connections in or around a site of CNS damage.

6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the mammalian subject is motor complete or sensory complete.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein the neural cells comprise at least one of tripotential progenitor cells, glial progenitor cells, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes or any combination thereof.

8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the FES-evoked patterned movement activates a central pattern generator in the spinal cord.

9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the patterned movement comprises at least one of walking, breathing, biking, punching, kicking, swimming, fist clinching, toe pointing, knee bending, hip flexing, sitting, standing, and jumping.

10. A method according to claims 9 , wherein the FES is applied to at least one muscle or muscle group selected from the group consisting of gluteals, paraspinal, abdominals, wrist extensors, wrist flexors, deltoids, biceps, triceps, hamstrings, and quadriceps.

11. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the application of functional electrical stimulation is applied to a muscle or muscle group externally.

12. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the application of functional electrical stimulation is applied to a muscle or muscle group internally.

13. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the FES-evoked patterned movement occurs for at least about one hour per day and at least three times per week.

14. A method according to claim 1 wherein said therapeutically effective amount of FES-evoked patterned movement comprises delivering electronic stimulation at 3 V and 200 μs monophasic pulses delivered at 20 Hz.

15. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the neural cells are capable of transmitting an at least partially restored neural signal.

16. A method according to claim 15 , wherein the at least partially restored neural signal begins in the brain of the subject suffering from multiple sclerosis and ends in a muscle in communication with a peripheral nervous system nerve cell.

17. A method according to claim 16 , wherein the at least partially restored neural signal ending in a peripheral nervous system nerve cell causes the muscle to contract.

18. A method according to claim 17 , wherein inducing a therapeutically effective amount of FES-evoked patterned movement comprises stimulation of peripheral nervous system sufficient to evoke a cycle of neural signal activity in the peripheral nerves and in the spinal cord, followed by neural signal inactivity therein, and wherein the cycle is repeated.

19. A method according to claim 18 , wherein the neural signal cycle is sufficient to evoke the muscles to perform patterned movement.

20. A method according to claim 19 , wherein said patterned movement comprises reciprocal movements.

21. A method according to claim 1 , comprising monitoring the mammalian subject for CNS neural regeneration.

22. A method according to claim 21 , wherein monitoring the mammalian subject for CNS neural regeneration comprises fMRI imaging.

23. A method according to claim 1 , comprising monitoring the mammalian subject for CNS motor function.

24. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the patterned movement comprises biking and the FES is applied to at least a gluteal muscle, a quadricep muscle, and a hamstring muscle.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the the FES-evoked patterned movement occurs for at least about one hour per day and at least three times per week.

26. A method for treating central nervous system (CNS) damage in a mammalian subject in need of such treatment comprising

inducing a therapeutically effective amount of functional electrical stimulation (FES)-evoked patterned movement in a mammalian subject for a period of time sufficient to regenerate neural cells; and

monitoring the mammalian subject for CNS neural regeneration or CNS motor function;

wherein

the patterned movement occurs during exposure to FES;

at least a portion of lost motor function or sensory function of the mammalian subject lost is restored; and

the CNS damage comprises (i) an acute trauma selected from the group consisting of complete severance of the spinal cord, partial severance of the spinal cord, and stroke or (ii) a chronic disease selected from the group consisting of multiple sclerosis, cancer, tumor metastasis, Huntington's Disease, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and neurodegenerative effects of aging.