Fig. 7

Acceleration of motor function recovery through combined therapy. a Serial BBB score assessment of hind limb motor functions among rats in the combination, TP, HGF, and control groups. The BBB scores were found to significantly improve in the combination group compared with the other groups. n = 16 for the combination group, n = 15 for the control and TP groups, n = 14 for the HGF group. b Analysis of stride length using the DigiGait system at 84 days after SCI (n = 12 for the combination group, n = 11 for the control and TP groups, n = 9 for the HGF group. c Kinematics analysis of representative stick diagrams from the four groups. d Representative images of MEP waves stimulated at the Th2 spinal cord and recorded from the distal quadriceps muscle tendon in the four groups. e Quantitative analysis of MEP maximal amplitude in the four groups. The latency was shorter in the treated three groups than in the control group. n = 4 each. f Quantitative analysis of MEP peak latency in the four groups. The maximal amplitude was significantly larger in the combination group than in the other groups. n = 4 each. The p values shown in (a) were calculated by repeated-measures two-way ANOVA, followed by the Tukey‒Kramer test. †, p < .05; ††, p < .01 versus the control; ‡, p < .05; ‡‡, p < .01 versus HGF alone; §, p < .05; §§, p < .01 versus TP alone. The p values shown in (b, e, f) were calculated by repeated-measures two-way ANOVA, followed by the Tukey‒Kramer test. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01. N.S., not significant. Values are the means ± SEMs for (a, b, e, f). Combi: Combination group