From spinal circuits to human recovery.
We work on three connected problems: how the spinal cord generates movement, how it coordinates with the brain, and how movement can be restored after injury. The throughline is always the same — understand the system well enough to help repair it.
How movement is made
Every step begins as a pattern of timing and rhythm inside the spinal cord. We study how those patterns are generated, and how sensory feedback shapes them into coordinated walking.
Our research details mature spinal networks and sensory-motor integration during locomotion, focusing on the central pattern generation (CPG) systems and the rhythm/timing pathways that dictate step flow.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED MODELS · IN VIVO ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY · MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
FIG. 01 — Timing dynamics of locomotor rhythms
How the brain and cord coordinate
Movement isn't run by the brain or the spinal cord alone — it's a constant negotiation between them, tuned by the body's own chemistry. We study how that conversation works.
We analyze brainstem–spinal interaction, specifically evaluating the key role of serotonin (including 5-HT₇ receptors) and thoracic cholinergic neurons in initiating and sustaining locomotion, demonstrating how distributed neural assemblies remain synchronized.
OPTOGENETICS · CHEMOGENETICS · ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY · RODENT MODELS
FIG. 02 — Localization of serotonergic tracts in thoracic segments
How movement comes back
A spinal cord injury rarely destroys the whole system. We study what survives, which pathways can still be reached, and how stimulation and training can bring movement back.
Our translational projects focus on improving motor function and reducing secondary immobility complications (such as cardiovascular decline, loss of bone density, and metabolic shifts) via targeted stimulation, aiming for whole-system rehabilitation.
NON-INVASIVE STIMULATION · EMG · KINEMATICS · METABOLIC ASSESSMENT
FIG. 03 — Kinematic trajectories during transcutaneous stimulation
How we work.
Record what neurons actually do.
In vivo electrophysiology, functional mapping of spinal circuits, connectivity analysis.
Test the system by intervening.
Optogenetic and chemogenetic tools isolate specific neuron types to prove their role in movement.
Carry it into human recovery.
Non-invasive stimulation, muscle recording, and motion analysis with people living with spinal cord injury.
We don't separate theory from practice. We connect them.
Mechanisms identified in controlled models are carried directly into human trials at our Winnipeg facility — tested, refined, and deployed without the usual gap between discovery and the clinical floor.
SPLIT-BELT BALANCE PLATFORM (VR)
WHEELCHAIR TREADMILL
SUPPORTED STANDING FRAME
FES ROWERS
Representative Papers
Subprimary range of firing in spinal motoneurons
Serotonin and locomotion via 5-HT₇ receptors
Respiratory and locomotor drive interaction
CIHR · NSERC · Research Manitoba · Spinal Cord Research Centre · Innovation Canada
Spinal Cord Physiology Lab — specializing in neurostimulation, balance & motor-control, and motion-analysis infrastructure.
Interested in collaborating, or in joining the lab?