The spinal cord is the gateway for information transfer between body and brain. However the spinal cord is not simply a conduit. Within its central gray matter lies a circuitry that integrates and coordinates complex sensory, motor and autonomic events. Spinal cord injuries can permanently sever descending command pathways and produce paralysis. Moreover, the spinal cord can also become hyper-responsive, resulting in spasticity (hyperreflexia), autonomic dysfunction and devastating chronic pain syndromes. Clearly, brain modulatory systems help to maintain spinal cord homeostasis.

The long-term goal of our lab is to understand how brainstem modulatory transmitters (serotonin, dopamine, and nor-adrenaline) modify spinal cord function. These transmitters have been linked to the control of the spinal cord circuitry generating locomotion, autonomic NS function as well as the potent inhibition of spinal cord pain systems.

Current reserach in the lab focuses on:
1. Dysfunction in spinal dopamine in relation to Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).
2. Plasticity of spinal cord function after injury.
3. Properties and control of spinal cord locomotor activity.
4. Identification of novel modulatory mechanisms controlling spinal cord function.