Prof. Dr. Grégoire Courtine

 

Main Goals, Keywords

Develop neurorehabilitation interventions to improve rehabilitative procedures for individuals suffering from neuromotor disorders such as spinal cord injury, implantable high-density electrode array, pharmacological aids, improve recovery of function following neuromotor disorders, understand neural mechanisms underlying alteration and recovery of function following neuromotor disorders, fluorescent tract-tracing, immunohistochemistry, uncover the organization of the spinal motor infrastructure that controls locomotion, EMG, kinematic, kinetic, electrophysiology.

Group Members

1 postdoctoral fellow, 1 PhD student.

Previous and Current Research

We have developed neurorehabiltiation interventions to enable weight bearing plantar stepping during rehabilitation following complete transection of the spinal cord in adult rats. The so-called stepping-enabling neurorehabilitative interventions include a synergistic combination of electrical spinal cord stimulation paradigms and administration of monoamine agonists. In turn chronic body weight supported step training under such interventions can promote improvements of stepping capacities, thus offering promises for patients with chronic paralysis. We also investigated the mechanisms of spontaneous recovery following incomplete injury of the spinal cord in mice, rats and monkeys, as well as the potential of nerve growth promoting interventions (BDNF, NT3, antibodies against NOGO-A) to enhance functional recovery.

Future Projects

We are working on improving neurorehabilitative interventions with the use of chronically-implantable high-density electrode array that will allow to stimulate multi yet specific loci throughout the extent of the lumbosacral spinal cord. We also focus on establishing an optimal combination of specific monoamine agonists to enable vigorous stepping during sensorimotor training. Moreover we are interesting in using the same combinatory approach to promote movements of the forelimb during stepping and fine motor control tasks. Finally we seek to understand the spinal mechanisms involved in the coordination of stepping.

Techniques and Equipment

• VICON system for the recording of kinematic, kinetic EMG data
• Chronic recordings of EMG activity
• Chronic implantation of spinal cord and brain electrodes
• Automated body weight support system with robotic treadmill for step training rehabilitation (robomedica)
• Fluorescent tract tracing
• Immunohistochemistry

Selected Publications

• G. Courtine, B. Song, R.R. Roy, H. Zhong, J.E. Herrmann, Y. Ao, J. Qi, V.R. Edgerton, M.V. Sofroniew, Recovery of supraspinal control of stepping via indirect propriospinal relay connections after spinal cord injury, Nat Med 14 (2008) 69-74.

• G. Courtine, M.B. Bunge, J.W. Fawcett, R.G. Grossman, J.H. Kaas, R. Lemon, I. Maier, J. Martin, R.J. Nudo, A. Ramon-Cueto, E.M. Rouiller, L. Schnell, T. Wannier, M.E. Schwab, V.R. Edgerton, Can experiments innonhuman primates expedite the translation of treatments for spinal cord injury in humans?, Nat Med 13 (2007) 561-566.
• G. Courtine, S.J. Harkema, C.J. Dy, Y.P. Gerasimenko, P. Dyhre-Poulsen, Modulation of multisegmental monosynaptic responses in a variety of leg muscles during walking and running in humans, J Physiol 582 (2007) 1125-1139

Funding

NCCR Neural plasticity and repair, University of Zurich, Craig Neilsen Foundation.