Abstract—The adult mammalian central nervous system
(CNS) is capable of considerable plasticity, both in health and
disease. After spinal neurotrauma, the degrees and extent of
neuroplasticity and recovery depend on multiple factors,
including the level and extent of injury, postinjury medical and
surgical care, and rehabilitative interventions. Rehabilitation
strategies focus less on repairing lost connections and more on
influencing CNS plasticity for regaining function. Current evidence
indicates that strategies for rehabilitation, including passive
exercise, active exercise with some voluntary control, and
use of neuroprostheses, can enhance sensorimotor recovery
after spinal cord injury (SCI) by promoting adaptive structural
and functional plasticity while mitigating maladaptive changes
at multiple levels of the neuraxis. In this review, we will discuss
CNS plasticity that occurs both spontaneously after SCI
and in response to rehabilitative therapies