Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have received a nearly $3 million, five-year National Institutes of Health grant to study how transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation can be tailored to improve movement in people with spinal cord injuries.
The team, led by Ismael Seáñez, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and neurosurgery, aims to identify how different stimulation parameters — including spatial location, frequency and amplitude — can selectively activate muscle groups and enhance voluntary leg movement, according to a Sept. 18 university news release.
Findings could pave the way for personalized, noninvasive therapies that allow people with spinal cord injuries to regain more functional, coordinated movement.
Researchers plan to test the approach in 48 patients with partial motor function.
