Principal Investigators

Areas of Expertise

Full Core Members

Jeremy Chopek, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Physiology & Pathophysiology

Brainstem-spinal cord in-vitro electrophysiology, neuronal microcircuit formation, optogenetic and photomanipulation, transgenic mouse models, viral tracers, confocal micrscopy, chx10 brainstem neurons, spinal V3 interneurons, in-vivo electrophysiology, spinal cord injury and exercise, stretch reflexes, gene expression.

Kristine Cowley, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Physiology & Pathophysiology

Director, Spinal Cord Research Centre

In vitro electrophysiology and neuropharmacology, studies of spinal cord motor pattern generation and coordination, and adult rat spinal cord injury and motor training and recovery. Human neuromechanics, exercise physiology, and prevention and treatment of secondary complications of spinal cord injury.

Eftekhar Eftekharpour, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Physiology & Pathophysiology

Regeneration and Repair strategies for treatment of Spinal cord injury and Stroke. Pharmacological and Stem Cell Replacement Approaches to enhance neural cell protection, Manipulation of Redox Regulating systems in nervous system.

Brent Fedirchuk, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Physiology & Pathophysiology

Electrical properties of motoneurons, modulation during locomotion, spinal motor circuitry.

Phillip F. Gardiner, Ph.D.

Professor, Physiology & Pathophysiology
Professor Emeritus, Faculty of Kinesiology & Recreation Management

Adaptations in spinal cord, neuromuscular junction and muscle to alterations in chronic activity levels; adaptability of biophysical, neurochemical and morphological properties of motoneurons.

Soheila Karimi, Ph.D.

Professor, Physiology & Pathophysiology

Neural repair and regeneration in spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis, regenerative medicine, neural stem cell biology and therapeutics, myelin biology and repair, preclinical modeling, CNS neuroinflammation and immune modulation, glial scar and matrix remodeling, pharmacological and bioengineered drug delivery systems for spinal cord regeneration, genetic models for studying neural differentiation and mechanisms, neural plasticity and neurological recovery in spinal cord injury and MS, cellular and molecular approaches in neuroscience, neuroanatomical and imaging techniques, primary in vitro models.

David A. McCrea, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus, Physiology & Pathophysiology

Spinal cord electrophysiology, spinal motor circuitry, pre- and postsynaptic control mechanisms.

James I. Nagy, Ph.D.

Professor, Physiology & Pathophysiology

Neurochemistry, neuroanatomy, biochemistry, cell biology, immunohistochemistry, models of spinal cord and brain injury, gap junction structure and function.

Brian J. Schmidt, M.D., FRCPC

M.D./Professor, Internal Medicine

In vitro electrophysiology and neuropharmacology, studies of spinal cord motor pattern generation.

Katinka Stecina, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Physiology & Pathophysiology

Electrophysiology, brain, spinal cord, function network analysis, interneurons, sensory-motor coordination, reflex, surface EMGs, nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation.