Advancements in Spinal Cord Injury Research: Spinal Cord Stimulation for Enhancing Recovery after SCI

Mar 4

Thursday, March 28, 2024 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM

SCVMC Rehabilitation’s SCI Connections in conjunction with NorCal SCI are excited to host this special event. Come learn about the intriguing field of spinal cord stimulation with Anastasia Keller, PhD at The SCVMC Valley Speciality Center. Doors open at 5:30pm, presentation starts at 6pm followed by a Q&A session and then a pizza dinner and social meetup until 8pm.
The presentation will also be webcast.

The presentation will cover a broad overview of spinal cord stimulation touching on the following topics;

· Brief review of spinal cord physiology – the power and potential of the spinal cord below the level of injury

· Basic definitions/overview of spinal cord stimulation

Epidural vs transcutaneous stimulation

· Review of Companies/Devices

· Brief review of spinal cord stimulation indications in research (motor vs autonomic function improvement) after SCI

· Available/ongoing/recruiting clinical trials using spinal cord stimulation after SCI

· Future of neuromodulation/spinal cord stimulation for SCI rehab in the Bay Area

About the Presenter

Dr. Keller received her PhD in Physiology at the University of Louisville in Louisville KY in 2017. She did her graduate and postdoctoral training at the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center where they made the first observations of the epidural spinal cord stimulation efficacy to restore movement in individuals with SCI. During her postdoctoral training Dr. Andrea Behrman’s laboratory, she conducted the first pilot clinical trial establishing safety and feasibility of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation to improve trunk control and sitting posture in children with SCI. Three years ago, she joined the Brain and Spinal Injury Center at UCSF and is currently working on developing clinical trials to test the safety of acute implementation of transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation after SCI.