Introduction: Spinal cord injury promotes an afferent and efferent disconnection from the cortex causing neurologic deficits. Many imaging studies have shown that neuroplasticity occurs after effective treatments in patients with spinal cord injury.
Objective: The purpose of the study was to make a bibliographic review of the treatments applied after spinal cord injury, studying neuroplasticity and how supraespinal structures react to these treatments as shown by neuroimaging tools such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Development: Treatments including cell transplantation, antibodies against myelin inhibitors or against antagonists of their receptors, surgical rebuilding methods and motor rehabilitation, can compensate the loss of function of the areas with injury. This improvement is characterized by cortical activation changes.
Conclusion: We conclude that the treatments currently used produce good results in relation to the sensorimotor reorganization in patients with spinal cord injury. fMRI is a valuable tool for the study of cerebral changes in spinal injury.
