Join us in this episode for a conversation with Kimberly Anderson, PhD, professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, scientist at MetroHealth System, director of the Northeast Ohio Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System, and author of the original SCI priorities study. We discuss the paper, “Recovery Insights Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Consumer's Perspective,” published in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America.

In this conversation, we discuss the development of priorities research over the past two decades, and Dr. Anderson's new review paper synthesizing 68 studies representing more than 11,000 people living with SCI. We discuss community perspectives on functional recovery, secondary complications, and interventions, including arm and hand function, bladder and bowel function, sexual function, pain management, and clinical trial participation.

In this conversation we also probe at cultural influences on recovery priorities, risk-benefit decision making in clinical trials, and the role of lived experience in shaping SCI research agendas. We invite you to listen in as Dr. Anderson reflects on the evolution of priorities science, persistent gaps in the field, and future directions for aligning SCI research and funding with the priorities of people living with SCI.

Join us in this combined episode with Noland Arbaugh, the first participant (P1) in the Neuralink-sponsored PRIME clinical trial. After sustaining a cervical spinal cord injury in 2016, Noland volunteered to receive the Neuralink N1 implant in 2024 and has since become one of the most visible advocates for implanted brain-computer interfaces. In this conversation, we discuss life before the implant, the decision to participate in a first-in-human trial, and what it actually feels like to control a computer using neural signals. Noland reveals how the technology has changed the way he communicates, studies, and interacts with both the digital and analog world. Noland also shares his perspectives on the future of brain-computer interfaces, ethical considerations pertaining to neurotechnology, and his goal of becoming a neuroscientist. We invite you to listen as Noland offers a firsthand perspective from a brain-computer interface pioneer.

Join us in this episode for a conversation with Kanishka Gambhir, cardiopulmonary physiotherapist and teaching associate at Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, India, to hear about her paper, “Inspiratory Muscle Training Improves Functional Sitting Balance More Than Usual Care in Individuals With Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial,” published in Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

In this conversation, we explore the implementation of inspiratory muscle training within a tertiary spinal cord injury rehabilitation program. Kanishka discusses participant selection, intervention delivery, outcome assessment, and the primary findings from her randomized controlled trial. We also examine potential mechanisms linking inspiratory muscle performance and balance, and discuss the feasibility of integrating inspiratory muscle training into routine clinical practice.

We invite you to listen in as Kanishka discusses the implementation of a co-administered breathing and balance program, future research directions, and the translational implications of this work for SCI rehabilitation.