Spinal Cord Injury(SCI)/ Neural Engineering and Therapeutics (NET)

Our Focus

The focus of the SCI/NET team is translational research to advance understanding of neurological recovery, rehabilitation and quality of life for individuals with spinal cord injury and other complex neurological conditions.

Ongoing Studies

  • Developing effective balance therapies using electrical stimulation for individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury or stroke
  • Evaluation of the effects of a virtual handcycling program on physical, psychological and social health in adults with spinal cord injury aged 50 years or older
  • Real-time quantitative hand function feedback through an augmented reality system
  • Clinical decision support in the rehabilitation of hand function post-spinal cord injury or stroke in outpatient settings using egocentric video
  • Revealing the mechanism of positive neuroplasticity after electrical stimulation
  • Developing and evaluating a Functional Electrical Stimulation Toolkit to support health care professionals with the implementation of this evidence-based rehabilitation tool
  • Feasibility of EEG-Triggered Functional Electrical Stimulation Therapy for Upper Limb Rehabilitation After Spinal Cord Injury
  • Collecting data (Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry) to better understand the complex needs of individuals who sustain SCI/D
  • Developing a wearable garment that can track shoulder girdle, trunk, and hip movements with the potential to monitor postural control, identify movement patterns associated with falling, and report fall incidents within the community
  • Exploring the relationship between bowl management independence and quality of life

Upcoming Events

November 22, 2024 - Finding Commonalities and Seeking Consensus: MS and SCI Rehabilitation

Past Events

  • November 21 – 23, 2023 - 10th National Spinal Cord Injury Conference

  • January 19, 2024 - Research Showcase at the Lyndhurst Centre

  • February 23, 2024 - Research Showcase at the Lyndhurst Centre

  • July 11, 2024 - Research Showcase and Summer BBQ at the Lyndhurst Centre

Recent Publications Highlights

  • Habib Perez O, Chan K, Martin S, Marinho-Buzelli A, Singh H, Musselman KE. The experience of falls and fall risk during the subacute phase of spinal cord injury: a mixed methods study. Disability & Rehabilitation. E-pub Sep 21 2023.
  • Bandini, A., Dousty, M., Hitzig, S. L., Craven, B. C., Kalsi-Ryan, S., & Zariffa, J. (2022). Measuring hand use in the home after cervical spinal cord injury using egocentric video. Journal of Neurotrauma, 39(23-24), 1697-1707.
  • Lim D, Pei W, Lee JW, Musselman KE, Masani K. Feasibility of using a depth camera or pressure mat for visual feedback balance training with functional electrical stimulation. BioMedical Engineering OnLine 23:19, 2024.
  • Jovanovic LI, Kapadia N, Zivanovic V, et al. Brain-computer interface-triggered functional electrical stimulation therapy for rehabilitation of reaching and grasping after spinal cord injury: a feasibility study. Spinal Cord Ser Cases. 2021;7(1):24.
  • Craven BC, Giangregorio LM, Côté I, Blencowe L, Miyatani M, Alavinia M. Using Risk Scores to Estimate Lower Extremity Fragility Fracture Risk among Individuals with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: A Preliminary Model. Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation. 2023;29(suppl):112-3.
  • Craven BC, Bateman EA, Flett H, Farahani F, Wolfe DL, Askari S, et al. The Changing Prevalence of Pressure Injury among Ontarians with SCI/D at Rehabilitation Admission: Opportunities for Improvement. Healthcare (Basel). 2024;12(11).

Team Leads

Beverley Catharine (Cathy) Craven

Research Lead and Clinical Lead

Kristin Musselman

Associate Lead

Scientist Members

Anthony S. Burns

Arash Arami

Cesar Marquez-Chin

Hardeep Singh

Ian Connell

Jose Zariffa

Julio C. Furlan

Kei Masani

Linda Rapson

Lora Giangregorio

Luka Milosevic

Milos R. Popovic

Mojgan Hodaie

Molly Verrier

Parvin Eftekhar

Paul B Yoo

Sukhvinder Kalsi-Ryan

Suneil Kalia

Susan Jaglal

Taufik A Valiante

Venkat Bhat

Xilin Liu

Staff Members

Julie Vo

Katherine Chan

Sharmini Atputharaj