Dr. Richard B. Stein Annual Lectureship  

As part of the Albertaneuro 2014 Symposium Thursday October 23, 2014 - Lister Centre, University of Alberta

11:15 – 12:15 p.m. Everyone is Welcome  

“Neuroprosthetic Technologies to Improve Motor Function After Neuromotor Disorders”

 

International Paraplegic Foundation (IRP) Chair in Spinal Cord Repair, and head of the

Center for Neuroprosthetic and Brain Mind Institute of the Life Science School at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland

 

Continuous neuromodulation of the spinal cord improves motor control after various neurological disorders. However, technical and conceptual limitations have restricted the development of more effective stimulation protocols. Moreover, neuromodulation therapies remain controlled externally. Here, we introduce a mechanistic framework that steered hardware and software development to achieve electrical, chemical and optical neuromodulation of spinal circuits in freely behaving subjects. We introduce spatial selectivity and temporal structure in neuromodulation therapies that are adjusted based on movement feedback, or are directly controlled via motor cortex modulation. These algorithms resolved limb-specific impairments and alleviated locomotor deficits in various rodent or primate models of spinal cord injuries and Parkinson’s disease. Our results provide comprehensive resources and new methods to manipulate spinal circuits in space and time for basic neuroscience research and translational medicine.

 

Dr. Grégoire Courtine