The first volume of Spinal Cord Dysfunction addressed the problems of assessment of function with particular reference to plasticity in the central nervous system. The second volume was concerned with early intervention and treatment, including the prevention of secondary pathological events following spinal cord injury. In this volume, restoration of function after spinal cord damage is seen from the point of view of identification of impaired or absent function in nerve cells and processes which survive after the initial insult, intact but with impaired function. The theoretical premise that part of the neurological deficit produced by a lesion is due to altered function in the intact nervous system is examined and the effect of peripheral and central functional stimulation is described in chapters by international authorities in their field. The first part of the book deals with theoretical, experimental and mathematical aspects. The second and third parts are concerned with peripheral and central functional stimulation, and the volume concludes with pharmacological modulation.

This is the second in a sesries of books dealing with the enormous clinical problem of spinal cord dysfunction. Volume I discussed assessment; this book focuses on intervention. There are three main approaches to the restoration of function after damage to the spinal cord: the prevention of seconday pathological events; the identification of impaired or absent functions in nerve cells and processes that survive the initial injury; and restoration of severed neuronal connections. This book addresses the first two of these approaches. It contains a discussion of the arguments about early decompression of the spinal cord following injury, therapy of acute spinal injury, and the effects of early treatment and local cooling on spinal cord blood flow. The management of specific problems associated with spinal cord dysfunction is addressed; these problems include cardiovascular abnormalities due to autonomic dysfunction, bladder control, pain, and sexual function. Current procedures of rehabilitation (particularly the management of chronic problems and the treatment of complications) are summarized, and ideas on motor control and learning are discussed.