Dr. Matthias Krenn proposes unique study to stimulate the spinal nerves
By: Susan Christensen, Director, Public & Media Relations, Methodist Rehabilitation Center
Today, everything from pain to Parkinson’s disease is treated by devices that deliver electrical stimulation to the nerves and muscles.
But there’s still much to learn about how stimulation impacts paralyzed muscles below the site of a spinal cord injury.
That knowledge gap led Matthias Krenn, Ph.D. to propose a unique study. Instead of following the lead of researchers who use implanted devices to stimulate spinal nerves, Matthias Krenn, Ph.D., took a different approach.
“In our case, we use surface electrodes on the abdomen and back, and with this stimulation, we can also activate the spinal cord,” said Dr. Krenn, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. “This allows an electrical field to activate many nerves right before they enter the spinal cord. Through the recording of muscle activity in the legs, we are measuring the changes in the spinal cord produced by this flood of electrical activity.”
Dr. Krenn tests subjects at Methodist Rehabilitation Center, where $700,000 worth of robotic rehabilitation devices offer the controlled environment necessary for his study.
An affiliate scientist with MRC, Dr. Krenn works with staff of its Center for Neuroscience and Neurological Recovery. They include a rehab engineer, motion lab and neurophysiology technologists, a research occupational therapist, a biomechanist and physician-scientists.
The partnership is made possible by MRC’s affiliation with the Neuro Institute at UMMC. And Stokic sees the presence of Dr. Krenn—who’s both a biomedical and electrical engineer—as a plus.
“Matthias is perfectly suited to lead this work because of his wide expertise—from the design and manufacture of electrical stimulators to many years of studying both invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation along with our long-time colleagues in Vienna, Austria,” Stokic said.
Testing for the study is done on the ErigoPro—a robotic device that combines a tilt table, functional electrical stimulation and robotic leg movements.
“It allows us to precisely time the stimulation in respect to a specific phase of stepping,” Stokic said. “And this hasn’t been done before.”
The approach has earned the support of Wings for Life Spinal Cord Injury Foundation, an international foundation focused on spinal cord injury research. In June, it began its third year of funding for Dr. Krenn’s research.
Neither, Stokic nor Dr. Krenn believes the work will cure paralysis. But it may provide answers to how to best utilize this new way to tap into the injured spinal cord.
“I think the results are promising and may open a new avenue for spinal cord injury research,” Dr. Krenn said. “Our research is addressing the problem of a lost connection between the brain and muscles. The ultimate goal is to develop a method or therapy to control the spinal cord by external stimulation so we can reduce functional deficits.”
Cutline: Scientists from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Methodist Rehabilitation Center are collaborating on a study that may open a new avenue for spinal cord injury research. Monitoring the muscle movements of study participant, Don Purvis, are from left, Jennifer Sivak, MRC research occupational therapist, Antonio Hayes, MRC neurophysiology technologist, William Pierce, UMMC research assistant, Matthias Krenn, Ph.D., UMMC Assistant Professor and MRC Affiliate Scientist and Elizabeth Gordineer, Ph.D. student at UMMC’s Program in Neuroscience.