Neuroplasticity is important for neurorehabilitation and neural recovery after stroke and a wide range of other neurological conditions and injuries. Our understanding of neuroplasticity has advanced over the years, but questions remain about how it can be best leverage to optimize treatments.

This is the second episode of a two-episode interview between hosts Dr. Jyutika Mehta and Dr. Marie McNeely and our guests Dr. John Krakauer and Dr. Randolph (Randy) Nudo. We discuss approaches that could help drive neuroplasticity to enhance motor recovery, differentiating motor recovery from compensation, variability in recovery between individuals, how our health care system could better support neurorecovery, and new innovations in the field.

Dr. Krakauer is the Director of the Centre for Restorative Neurotechnology at the Champalimaud Foundation in Portugal, where he leads cutting-edge research. He also serves as the John C. Malone Professor and Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins University, where he directs the Brain, Learning, Animation, and Movement Lab (BLAM Lab), and as an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. Dr. Nudo is a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, the Marion Merrell Dow Distinguished Professor in Aging Emeritus in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Editor-in-Chief of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.

This podcast is sponsored by the Mike A. Myers Stroke Center at Texas Woman's University Dallas. Visit https://twu.edu/stroke-center-dallas/ to learn more.

The brain has an amazing ability to adapt in response to changes and challenges, including damage to the nervous system. When someone has a stroke or another neurological condition, neuroplasticity can help shape repair and recovery.

This is the first episode of a two-episode interview between hosts Dr. Jyutika Mehta and Dr. Marie McNeely and our guests Dr. John Krakauer and Dr. Randolph (Randy) Nudo. We cover what neuroplasticity is, lessons from animal models about brain reorganization after stroke, differences between studies in humans versus animal models, what we know about the timing of neuroplasticity after stroke, effective "ingredients" for motor recovery, and how activating multimodal pathways during neurorehabilitation may improve outcomes.

Dr. Krakauer is the Director of the Centre for Restorative Neurotechnology at the Champalimaud Foundation in Portugal, where he leads cutting-edge research. He also serves as the John C. Malone Professor and Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins University, where he directs the Brain, Learning, Animation, and Movement Lab (BLAM Lab), and as an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. Dr. Nudo is a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, the Marion Merrell Dow Distinguished Professor in Aging Emeritus in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and Editor-in-Chief of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.

This podcast is sponsored by the Mike A. Myers Stroke Center at Texas Woman's University Dallas. Visit https://twu.edu/stroke-center-dallas/ to learn more.

Physical therapy plays an important role in neurorehabilitation and motor recovery after conditions like stroke or spinal cord injury. Movement-based interventions, potentially combined with neuromodulation approaches, such as mechanical or electrical stimulation, may enhance motor recovery and improve outcomes.

In this episode, hosts Dr. Jyutika Mehta and Dr. Marie McNeely are joined by Dr. Evan Sandler, a Research Scientist in the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program at Shepherd Center. Evan discusses how mechanical or electrical stimulation can impact the recovery process, findings from his research using transcutaneous spinal stimulation to facilitate motor recovery in individuals with spinal cord injury, and how he and his team bring new research findings into the clinic to improve patient care. He also shares key challenges with using different stimulation modalities to enhance motor recovery and the importance of clinical biomarkers for informing our approach to treatment.

This podcast is sponsored by the Mike A. Myers Stroke Center at Texas Woman's University Dallas. Visit https://twu.edu/stroke-center-dallas/ to learn more.