The applicant's long-term career goal is to develop scientifically-based therapies to advance the physical rehabilitation and recovery of function in persons after spinal cord injury (SCI). The applicant's current goal is to build on her clinical expertise in SCI physical rehabilitation, apply her doctoral training in motor control, and merge advanced knowledge and research skills to develop as an independent and competitive investigator bridging basic and clinical research in SCI rehabilitation. A five-year research and training plan developed with the primary mentor, F. Thompson, PhD of the University of Florida Brain Institute (UFBI) will meet this goal. This plan capitalizes on current collaborations, mentorship, and research expertise of SCI researchers at the UFBI.
The aims of this award are to: 1) enrich the candidate's research and experimental design skills; 2) advance current knowledge of spinal cord neurophysiology and activity-dependent plasticity; 3) develop the techniques to assess spinal cord neurophysiological function; and 4) enhance research support skills including scientific writing and grantsmanship. New approaches to facilitate locomotor recovery in individuals after SCI have recently been explored that optimize activity- dependent plasticity using sensory information related to locomotion to improve walking. Locomotor training velocity may be a critical, activity-dependent parameter affording appropriate phasic input to the neural system. In the proposed research, the relationship between neurophysiological mechanisms that sub-serve locomotion and walking velocity overground and on a treadmill will be compared in control subjects and subjects with incomplete SCI. For subjects with incomplete SCI, the effects of training velocity and a long-term locomotor training program on spinal cord reflex modulation function and overground walking velocity will then be assessed. The goal of this research is to assess if long-term locomotor training at a specific velocity in individuals with incomplete SCI will better facilitate neuroplasticity measured by improvements of spinal cord reflex function and increases in walking velocity.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Scientist Development Award - Research & Training (K01)
Project #
5K01HD001348-05
Application #
6709374
Study Section
Pediatrics Subcommittee (CHHD)
Program Officer
Nitkin, Ralph M
Project Start
2000-04-05
Project End
2005-03-31
Budget Start
2004-04-01
Budget End
2005-03-31
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$113,636
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Florida
Department
Other Health Professions
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
969663814
City
Gainesville
State
FL
Country
United States
Zip Code
32611
Behrman, Andrea L; Ardolino, Elizabeth M; Harkema, Susan J (2017) Activity-Based Therapy: From Basic Science to Clinical Application for Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury. J Neurol Phys Ther 41 Suppl 3:S39-S45
Fox, Emily J; Tester, Nicole J; Kautz, Steven A et al. (2013) Modular control of varied locomotor tasks in children with incomplete spinal cord injuries. J Neurophysiol 110:1415-25
Morrison, Sarah A; Pomeranz, Jamie L; Yu, Nami et al. (2012) Life care planning projections for individuals with motor incomplete spinal cord injury before and after locomotor training intervention: a case series. J Neurol Phys Ther 36:144-53
Tester, N J; Howland, D R; Day, K V et al. (2011) Device use, locomotor training and the presence of arm swing during treadmill walking after spinal cord injury. Spinal Cord 49:451-6
Phadke, Chetan P; Thompson, Floyd J; Trimble, Mark H et al. (2010) Reliability of soleus H-reflexes in standing and walking post-incomplete spinal cord injury. Int J Neurosci 120:128-36
Fox, Emily J; Tester, Nicole J; Phadke, Chetan P et al. (2010) Ongoing walking recovery 2 years after locomotor training in a child with severe incomplete spinal cord injury. Phys Ther 90:793-802
Phadke, Chetan P; Klimstra, Marc; Zehr, E Paul et al. (2010) Soleus h-reflex modulation during stance phase of walking with altered arm swing patterns. Motor Control 14:116-25
Plummer-D'Amato, Prudence; Altmann, Lori J P; Behrman, Andrea L et al. (2010) Interference between cognition, double-limb support, and swing during gait in community-dwelling individuals poststroke. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 24:542-9
Rogalski, Yvonne; Altmann, Lori J P; Plummer-D'Amato, Prudence et al. (2010) Discourse coherence and cognition after stroke: a dual task study. J Commun Disord 43:212-24
Plummer-D'Amato, Prudence; Altmann, Lori J P; Saracino, Dawn et al. (2008) Interactions between cognitive tasks and gait after stroke: a dual task study. Gait Posture 27:683-8

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