Spinal cord may be ‘smarter’ than previously thought

TORONTO: Our spinal cord is able to process and control complex body movements, say scientists who suggest that the organ may be ‘smarter’ than previously thought.

Our brains are thought as being at the centre of complex motor function and control.

It is well known that the circuits in the spinal cord control seemingly simple things like the pain reflex in humans, and some motor control functions in animals.

Research from Western University in Canada has shown that the spinal cord is also able to process and control more complex functions, like the positioning of your hand in external space.

“This research has shown that a least one important function is being done at the level of the spinal cord and it opens up a whole new area of investigation to say, ‘what else is done at the spinal level and what else have we potentially missed in this domain?’” said Andrew Pruszynski, assistant professor at Western University.

This kind of hand control requires sensory inputs from multiple joints -- mainly the elbow and the wrist -- and these inputs was previously thought to be processed and converted into motor commands by the brain’s cerebral cortex. Using specialised robotic technology, a three degree of freedom exoskeleton, subjects were asked to maintain their hand in a target position and then the robot bumped it away from the target by simultaneously flexing or extending the wrist and elbow.