Projects
Neurocircuit signatures of age-dependent locomotor circuit plasticity after spinal cord injury. KU Leuven
Spinal cord injury instantaneously and dramatically alters a person’s way of living by disconnecting nerve signals from the brain to the spinal cord, hindering one’s ability to move. The damage is often irreversible, and patients very often face long lasting motor dysfunctions. Spinal cord injured patients and experimental animals recover significantly more when they are injured at a young age. Such recovery is not due to axon regeneration ...
Harnessing sensorimotor circuit plasticity to maximize locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury KU Leuven
Spinal cord injury instantaneously and dramatically alters a person’s life. With interruption of nerve signals from the brain to the spinal cord, patients often face lasting motor dysfunctions. Scientific effort to date shows that electrical stimulation of the spinal cord below injury is one of promising methods to compensate for the loss of brain signals. To optimize such methods, we need to understand which cell types in the spinal cord are ...
The role of mast cells in the restriction of CNS inflammation after spinal cord injury Hasselt University
The MIF-CD74 system as a driver of pro-inflammatory B cell responses following traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Hasselt University
The role of mast cells in the restriction of CNS inflammation after brain trauma and spinal cord injury Hasselt University
Immunomodulatory therapy for spinal cord injury via IL-4 en IL-13 secreting stem cells Hasselt University
Uncovering short- and long-term circuit mechanisms of locomotor rehabilitation after spinal cord injury. KU Leuven
Severe spinal injuries disrupt communication between the brain and circuits below the lesion. Therapeutic approaches aim for functional recovery by facilitating axonal growth, removing growth barriers, or replacing lost cells. However, all approaches face a common challenge: the spinal cord below the injury must adapt to function with limited brain input. Rehabilitative training facilitates locomotor recovery by “teaching” the spinal cord to ...