Abstract

This Bioengineering Partnership brings together a multidisciplinary team of neuroscientists and engineers with complementary expertise in neural organization of the spinal cord (Dr. David McCrea, University of Manitoba), biomedical engineering and neuromuscular stimulations (Dr. Michel Lemay, Drexel University), physiology and biomechanics of locomotion (Dr. Boris Prilutsky, Georgia Institute of Technology), and computational neuroscience and neural control (Dr. llya Rybak, Drexel University). The goals of this project are (1) to perform a comprehensive multidisciplinary study of neural mechanisms in the mammalian spinal cord responsible for generation of the locomotor pattern and control of locomotion and (2) to find optimal strategies for restoring locomotor function after spinal cord injuries. In this project, two comprehensive databases will be created based on experimental studies of fictive locomotion in the decerebrate cat and on biomechanical studies of freely moving uninjured cats and spinal cats. These databases will be used for the development of (1) a computational model of neural circuitry of the spinal cord responsible for generation and control of the locomotor pattern and (2) a neuro-musculo-skeletal model of cat's locomotion. Special quantitative biomechanical criteria will be developed for evaluation of locomotor capabilities of spinal cats during and after implementation of different treatments for restoring the locomotor function. The computational models and biomechanical criteria developed will provide guidance for the applied treatments and evaluation of their results. Different strategies for the restoration of locomotor capabilities based on the combination of locomotor training on a treadmill with phase-dependent electrical stimulation of the selected sensory afferents will be implemented and investigated. The results of this project will provide significant insights into spinal mechanisms responsible for control of locomotion and will represent an important step toward the development of optimal and effective methods for restoration of locomotor function after various spinal cord injuries.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS048844-04
Application #
7615498
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-IFCN-K (50))
Program Officer
Chen, Daofen
Project Start
2006-05-03
Project End
2011-04-30
Budget Start
2009-05-01
Budget End
2010-04-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$430,260
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
Drexel University
Department
Type
Schools of Engineering
DUNS #
002604817
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19104

  Publications

Ollivier-Lanvin, Karen; Fischer, Itzhak; Tom, Veronica et al. (2015) Either brain-derived neurotrophic factor or neurotrophin-3 only neurotrophin-producing grafts promote locomotor recovery in untrained spinalized cats. Neurorehabil Neural Repair 29:90-100
Farrell, Brad J; Bulgakova, Margarita A; Sirota, Mikhail G et al. (2015) Accurate stepping on a narrow path: mechanics, EMG, and motor cortex activity in the cat. J Neurophysiol 114:2682-702
Farrell, Brad J; Bulgakova, Margarita A; Beloozerova, Irina N et al. (2014) Body stability and muscle and motor cortex activity during walking with wide stance. J Neurophysiol 112:504-24
Klishko, Alexander N; Farrell, Bradley J; Beloozerova, Irina N et al. (2014) Stabilization of cat paw trajectory during locomotion. J Neurophysiol 112:1376-91
Jasinski, Patrick E; Molkov, Yaroslav I; Shevtsova, Natalia A et al. (2013) Sodium and calcium mechanisms of rhythmic bursting in excitatory neural networks of the pre-Bötzinger complex: a computational modelling study. Eur J Neurosci 37:212-30
Molkov, Yaroslav I; Bacak, Bartholomew J; Dick, Thomas E et al. (2013) Control of breathing by interacting pontine and pulmonary feedback loops. Front Neural Circuits 7:16
Brocard, Frederic; Shevtsova, Natalia A; Bouhadfane, Mouloud et al. (2013) Activity-dependent changes in extracellular Ca2+ and K+ reveal pacemakers in the spinal locomotor-related network. Neuron 77:1047-54
Pantall, Annette; Gregor, Robert J; Prilutsky, Boris I (2012) Stance and swing phase detection during level and slope walking in the cat: effects of slope, injury, subject and kinematic detection method. J Biomech 45:1529-33
Markin, Sergey N; Lemay, Michel A; Prilutsky, Boris I et al. (2012) Motoneuronal and muscle synergies involved in cat hindlimb control during fictive and real locomotion: a comparison study. J Neurophysiol 107:2057-71
Hodson-Tole, Emma F; Pantall, Annette; Maas, Huub et al. (2012) Task-dependent activity of motor unit populations in feline ankle extensor muscles. J Exp Biol 215:3711-22

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