Paraplegiology / Spinal Cord Injury CenterOpen OpportunitiesThe main tract for transmitting noxious stimuli is the spinothalamic tract, receiving its input from different types of small fibers in the skin i.e., mechanical- or heat-sensitive fibers. In spinal cord injury as in other pathologies involving neuropathic pain and sensation deficits, it is crucial to assess spinothalamic tract integrity with objective methods. This depends on a well-characterized stimulation modality, activating small fibers, and implies the recording of brain activity in response to this stimulation (electroencephalography; EEG).1 Intra-epidermal electrical stimulation (IES) using a concentric triple electrode is known for its clinical potential due to small fiber activation and is a good candidate for the activation of the spinothalamic tract.2 However, to implement IES as a diagnostic tool in the clinical routine, feasibility, and test-retest reliability need to be assessed compared to other stimulation modalities.3–5 - Central Nervous System, Peripheral Nervous System, Sensory Systems, Systems Physiology
- Course Project, Internship, Master Thesis, Semester Project
| Extensive remote structural changes of the spinal cord and brain occur in the first months following spinal cord injury (SCI), with faster degenerative changes relating to poorer recovery. However, the spatial and temporal patterns of progression along the neuro-axis, and their relation to the clinical course of SCI are still understudied. We utilize advanced quantitative MRI methods to better reveal tissue macro- and microstructural changes, to determine a more defined analysis of changes along the whole CNS, (i.e., within but also below and above the cord lesion), and to characterize the injury-induced changes affecting the myelin and axonal architecture.
The specific aim is to apply novel, cutting edge ultra-high resolution qMRI methods (multi-parametric mapping such as T1 quantification, R2* and diffusion weighted MRI methods) on the ultra-high field 7T MR scanner to assess microstructural changes and impairment with high accuracy and sensitivity. - Clinical Engineering, Neurosciences
- Collaboration, Master Thesis, Semester Project
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