Achievement

IGERT trainee JoAnna Todd has performed interdisciplinary research between the laboratories of Profs. Hochman and DeWeerth. She has combined the areas of spinal cord physiology (Hochman) and multi-electrode fabrication and stimulation (DeWeerth) with the long-term goal of developing a neuroprosthesis for spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. The project has required interdisciplinary teamwork and significant input from both fields of knowledge. Through this collaboration, JoAnna has identified a location on the ‘tail’ end of the spinal cord for initiating and entraining locomotion, and has completed preliminary experiments using a positive feedback system utilizing stimulation to reinforce and maintain locomotor activity. The implications of these results are far reaching and may lead to new rehabilitative therapies for SCI patients.