MPBE Lunchtime Seminar: Dr Lynsey Duffell

Non-invasive neuromodulation for lower limb function after spinal cord injury

Abstract:

A spinal cord injury (SCI) is a life changing event: loss of sensation and mobility means that affected individuals often become wheelchair dependent for the rest of their lives, and there is currently no cure. Over the past few decades, our understanding of the central nervous system has improved greatly, and we have seen that it remains plastic, to some extent, even into adulthood. We now believe there to be a possibility that, by tapping into this neuroplasticity with the right intervention, we may be able to help people, even with “complete” SCI, to recover at least some of their lost sensation or mobility. In this talk I will describe the interventions we are currently exploring, which focus on combining non-invasive neuromodulation with voluntary drive and appropriate biofeedback, to retrain the nervous system. Even small improvements in function may substantially improve quality of life for people living with SCI. 

Bio:

Dr Lynsey Duffell completed her PhD in 2007 at Kings College London, working within a large multi-centre study to investigate the health benefits of long-term, intensive Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) cycling for people with complete spinal cord injury (SCI). She then moved to Imperial College London to carry out a post-doc focussing on central fatigue, gait and the pathophysiology of knee osteoarthritis. Dr Duffell returned to the field of SCI rehabilitation research in 2013 when she carried out a short post-doc at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, focussing on locomotor training and acute intermittent hypoxia as therapeutic interventions after SCI. Dr Duffell is now based in UCL’s Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering and works closely with the Aspire Centre for Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology (CREATe) based at RNOH, Stanmore. Her current research focuses on applying neuromodulatory therapies to humans with SCI and combining them with more traditional activity-based therapies to promote recovery of function.