Grant: Emerging Team Grant: Regenerative Medicine and Nanomedicine - LOI

Substantial recovery of motor function after damage to the central nervous system can occur via adaptation by spared neurons and neuronal circuitry. The Emerging Team in Restorative Plasticity will examine how promoting the activation and sprouting of spared spinal networks and cortical pathways can maximize locomotor and voluntary motor function after spinal cord injury. The Emerging Team will use a molecules-to-man approach whereby changes in gene function and electrophysiology of single cells and networks in animal models of spinal cord injury will parallel pharmacological and electrophysiological studies in patients with spinal cord injury. This coordinated approach will provide mechanistic answers as to why spared spinal and corticospinal networks produce motor recovery after spinal insult and more importantly, how these restorative processes can be maximized to produce clinically relevant motor recovery. Intensive motor training, electrical stimulation of the spared corticospinal tract, pharmacology and the application of axon attracting neurotrophic factors will be used to maximize function of spared spinal and cortical networks. Our team is comprised of world experts in the field of cellular physiology, regeneration, motor control and rehabilitation and together our efforts will determine how to best restore motor function of the spared nervous system.