Reach Training:

SCI affects more than locomotion; it also diminishes fine motor control, thereby reducing the patients’ standard of living. To improve forelimb dexterity of injured rats, standard overhead chow is replaced with nutritionally equivalent graspable pellets placed within wells longer than the tongue. The wells are designed to favor the use of the injured forelimb, and the pellets act as incentive to encourage the rats to practice the fine motor skills of the injured limb. This training is applied 24/7 while robotic gait training is done during working hours.