Yury P. Gerasimenko

• PhD
• Professor at University of Louisville

(1) Background: Respiratory dysfunction is a debilitating consequence of cervical and thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI), resulting from the loss of cortico-spinal drive to respiratory motor networks. This impairment affects both central and peripheral nervous systems, disrupting motor control and muscle innervation, which is essential for effective...

The question of the activity of muscles that provide the realization of imaginary movement is essential in the rehabilitation of motor disorders using neurointerfaces. The literature data on this issue are contradictory. The paper analyzes the EMG activity of the shin and thigh muscles of 40 healthy volunteers when working with a neurointerface bas...

(1) Background: Neurological deficits associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) exacerbate respiratory dysfunction, necessitating rehabilitation strategies that address both. Previous studies have demonstrated that spinal cord transcutaneous stimulation (scTS) can facilitate the excitation of respiratory spinal neural networks in patients with...

(1) Background: Neurological deficits associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) exacerbate respiratory dysfunction, necessitating rehabilitation strategies that address both. Previous studies have demonstrated that spinal cord transcutaneous stimulation (scTS) can facilitate the excitation of respiratory spinal neural networks in patients with...

Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) results in significant sensorimotor impairments below the injury level, notably in the upper extremities (UEs), impacting daily activities and quality of life. Regaining UE function remains the top priority for individuals post-cervical SCI. Recent advances in understanding adaptive plasticity within the sensorimot...

Transcutaneous multisegmental spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) has shown superior efficacy in modulating spinal locomotor circuits compared to single-site stimulation in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). Building on these findings, we hypothesized that administering a single session of tSCS at multiple spinal segments may yield greater enhan...

An Erratum to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0362119723970029

Neurorehabilitation of post-stroke patients with motor impairments is a significant and yet unresolved issue in restorative medicine. We propose a novel approach to rehabilitating such patients using transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (scTS), which targets the neural locomotor networks of the lumbar enlargement of the human spinal co...

The review presents recent data on the recovery of motor functions after spinal injuries: on spontaneous neuroplasticity; about plasticity, depending on physical activity; about the results of using epidural and transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the spinal cord to restore movement control; on neurophysiological changes and mechanisms initiat...

Post-stroke gait disorders are often characterized by abnormal kinematic and kinetic patterns, deviations in spatiotemporal features, altered muscle activation, and increased power requirements while walking. The investigation is aimed at determining the possibility of using transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (TSCS) to influence the kinematics...

Background: A growing number of studies have reported Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) related to both respiratory and central nervous system dysfunctions. This study evaluates the neuromodulatory effects of spinal cord transcutaneous stimulation (scTS) on the respiratory functional state in healthy controls and patients with post-COVID-19 respirato...

A brain-spine neurointerface based on the kinesthetic imagination of foot dorsiflexion with additional activation of foot movement by Biokin robotic device (mechanotherapy), and transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (TESCS) has been developed. Accuracy of classification of EEG-signals during the neurointerface control was on average 68%...

Post-stroke gait disorders are often characterized by abnormal kinematic and kinetic patterns, deviations in spatio-temporal features, altered muscle activation and increased power requirements during walking. The investigation is aimed at determining the possibility of using transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (scTS) to influence the...

Individuals with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) rank regaining arm and hand function as their top rehabilitation priority post-injury. Cervical spinal cord transcutaneous stimulation (scTS) combined with activity-based recovery training (ABRT) is known to effectively facilitate upper extremity sensorimotor recovery in individuals with residual a...

Background: A growing number of studies have reported Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)-related to both respiratory and central nervous system dysfunctions. This study evaluates the neuromodulatory effects of spinal cord transcutaneous stimulation (scTS) on the respiratory functional state in healthy controls and patients with post-COVID-19 respirator...

Objective: In adults with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), transcutaneous spinal stimulation (scTS) has improved upper extremity strength and control. This novel noninvasive neurotherapeutic approach combined with training may modulate the inherent developmental plasticity of children with SCI, providing even greater improvements than training o...

We demonstrated previously that stress-induced glucocorticoids are gastroprotective hormones but not ulcerogenic ones (Filaretova et al., 2016). Recently electrical spinal cord stimulation began to be used for both experimental studies of motor functions regulation and rehabilitation of motor functions in patients with spinal cord injury (Gerasimen...

Multisegmental transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the spinal cord (sсTS), affecting spinal neural networks and motor pools of leg muscles, was used to correct treadmill walking in stroke patients. The study involved 15 patients in the recovery period after acute cerebrovascular accidents. A noninvasive spinal neuroprosthesis with a multichann...

Multisegmental transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the spinal cord (sсTS), affecting spinal neural networks and motor pools of leg muscles, was used to correct treadmill walking in stroke patients. The study involved 15 patients in the recovery period after acute cerebrovascular accidents. A noninvasive spinal neuroprosthesis with a multichann...

Citation: García-Alén, L.; Kumru, H.; Castillo-Escario, Y.; Benito-Penalva, J.; Medina-Casanovas, J.; Gerasimenko, Y.P.; Edgerton, V.R.; García-Alías, G.; Vidal, J. Transcutaneous Cervical Spinal Cord Stimulation Combined with Robotic Exoskeleton Rehabilitation for the Upper Limbs in Subjects with Cervical SCI: Clinical Trial. Biomedicines 2023, 11...

Personality traits (PTs) are predictors of the success of control of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs); however, it is unknown how the PTs that are optimal for BCI control changes during training. The paper for the first time analyzes the correlations between PTs and the accuracy of the classification (AC) of brain states in imagining the movements...

Introduction: Lumbosacral spinal cord neuromodulation has shown the ability to restore voluntary control and stepping in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury. Methods: We combined cervical transcutaneous and lumbar epidural stimulation to explore the brain-spinal connectomes and their influence in spinal excitability and interlimb coupling....

Neural networks in the spinal cord can generate the walking pattern and control posture in the absence of supraspinal influences. A technology using transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (tSCS) was created. During walking, tSCS activated spinal locomotor networks, as well as leg flexor/extensor motor pools in the swing/stance phases, re...

Human studies involving spinal cord injured individuals or persons with other neurologic disease or disorders were from early observations of these individuals and also designed from knowledge of spinal mechanisms from vertebrate and invertebrate experiments to understand whether mechanisms of central pattern generation remained conserved. We revie...

The effectiveness of brain-computer interface (BCI) control and the success of imagination of movement of the upper and lower extremities were evaluated by the accuracy of recognition of EEG signals (classification accuracy) when imagining movements of the hands, feet and locomotion during 10-day training of 10 volunteers. Averaged data of all the...

Neural networks in the spinal cord can generate the walking pattern and control posture in the absence of supraspinal influences. A technology has been created using transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (tSCS). During walking, tSCS activated spinal locomotor networks, as well as leg flexor/extensor motor pools in the swing/support phas...

With emerging applications of spinal cord electrical stimulation in restoring autonomic and motor function after spinal cord injury, understanding the neuroanatomical substrates of the human spinal cord after spinal cord injury using neuroimaging techniques can play a critical role in optimizing the outcomes of these stimulation-based interventions...

Neuromodulation via spinal stimulation is a promising therapy that can augment the neuromuscular capacity for voluntary movements, standing, stepping, and posture in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The spinal locomotor-related neuronal network known as a central pattern generator (CPG) can generate a stepping-like motor output in the abs...

It is known that success in motor imagery in controlling brain–computer interface (BCI) systems can depend on users’ personality traits, while the ratio of activity in various right- and left-hemisphere brain structures depends on personality traits. There are no reports in BCI research on how success in controlling a BCI by subjects with different...

Purpose of review: There is a long history of neuromodulation of the spinal cord after injury in humans with recent momentum of studies showing evidence for therapeutic potential. Nonrandomized, mechanistic, hypothesis-driven, small cohort, epidural stimulation proof of principle studies provide insight into the human spinal circuitry functionalit...

It has been suggested that neuroplasticity-promoting neuromodulation can restore sensory-motor pathways after spinal cord injury (SCI), reactivating the dormant locomotor neuronal circuitry. We introduce a neuro-rehabilitative approach that leverages locomotor training with multi-segmental spinal cord transcutaneous electrical stimulation (scTS). W...

This review presents neurophysiological and behavioral data obtained in experimental and clinical studies in recent years based on noninvasive treatments of the cerebellum and spinal cord with weak direct currents to improve and restore motor functions. Behavioral data provide evidence of the positive potential of these interventions, while neuroph...

Our previous results of two areas of unrelated researches are the basis of the present study. We demonstrated previously that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis is gastroprotective component of the brain-gut axis and stress-induced glucocorticoids are gastroprotective hormones but not ulcerogenic ones (Filaretova et al., 2016). At...

The use of transcutaneous electrical spinal stimulation (TSS) to modulate sensorimotor networks after neurological insult has garnered much attention from both researchers and clinicians in recent years. While many different stimulation paradigms have been reported, the interlimb effects of these neuromodulation techniques have been little studied....

Millions of people around the world suffer from disorders caused by injuries and diseases of the brain and spinal cord. The combination of brain-computer interfaces and neuromodulation technologies is a new approach that could revolutionize the treatment of these disorders. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of a technique in which a patien...

The effect of noninvasive trasnscutaneous spinal cord stimulation (scTS) on walking parameters in patients after a cerebral infarction or ischemic stroke was investigated. It has been shown that after the use of scTS while walking on the floor the speed of movement, the length of the step cycle, the height of the foot elevation and the amplitude of...

Experimental studies have demonstrated that observation of motor actions induces activation in the observer of the same areas of the brain activated on physical execution of these actions and that this can induce the same plastic changes in the motor system of the observer as real physical training. This raises the question of whether observation o...

Transcutaneous (TSS) and epidural spinal stimulation (ESS) are electrophysiological techniques that have been used to investigate the interactions between exogenous electrical stimuli and spinal sensorimotor networks that integrate descending motor signals with afferent inputs from the periphery during motor tasks such as standing and stepping. Rec...

In children with spinal cord injury (SCI), scoliosis due to trunk muscle paralysis frequently requires surgical treatment. Transcutaneous spinal stimulation enables trunk stability in adults with SCI and may pose a non-invasive preventative therapeutic alternative. This non-randomized, non-blinded pilot clinical trial (NCT03975634) determined the s...

Electrical enabling motor control (eEmc) through transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation offers promise in improving hand function. However, it is still unknown which stimulus intensity or which muscle force level could be better for this improvement. Nine healthy individuals received the following interventions: (i) eEmc intensities at 80%, 90% and...

The effect of transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation on the kinematic parameters of movement of the ipsilateral and contralateral legs in healthy subjects during treadmill walking at speeds of 1.5 to 1.7 km/h has been studied. The stimulation electrodes were placed 2.5 cm lateral from the right and left sides of the spinal midline at L1...

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), based on motor imagery, are increasingly used in neurorehabilitation. However, some people cannot control BCI, predictors of this are the features of brain activity and personality traits. It is not known whether the success of BCI control is related to interhemispheric asymmetry. The study was conducted on 44 BCI-...

Investigations on the coactivation of antagonist muscles was for the first time carried out in combination with noninvasive electrical stimulation of spinal cord. Transcutaneous electrical stimulation (TES) of the dorsal roots of spinal cord was performed in healthy volunteers during their walk on a treadmill, purposefully activating the motor pool...

Serotonergic agents can improve the recovery of motor ability after a spinal cord injury. Herein, we compare the effects of buspirone, a 5-HT1A receptor partial agonist, to fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, on forelimb motor function recovery after a C4 bilateral dorsal funiculi crush in adult female rats. After injury, single p...

Electrical enabling motor control (eEmc) through transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation is a non-invasive method that can modify the functional state of the sensory–motor system. We hypothesize that eEmc delivery, together with hand training, improves hand function in healthy subjects more than either intervention alone by inducing plastic changes...

A measurement system was developed to record angular movements at the joints of the lower limbs (the stance and swing phases) allowing the moments of detachment and contact of the foot with the support surface to be determined using sensors responding to linear and angular acceleration. We present an algorithm for triggering spinal cord stimulation...

Ранее было показано, что метод чрескожной электрической стимуляции спинного мозга (ЧССМ), разработанный для фундаментальных исследований спинного мозга здорового человека, может быть использован для увеличения мышечной силы, инициации и улучшения произвольных движений у пациентов с хроническим повреждением спинного мозга. В настоящей работе приведе...

It was previously demonstrated that the transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (TESCS) can be used to increase muscle strength, to initiate and improve voluntary movements in patients with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI). The paper focuses on the use of TESCS in motor rehabilitation of SCI patients. It presents the results of a single T...

Personality traits of users can affect the success in controlling brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), and the activity of right and left brain structures may differ depending on personality traits. Earlier, it was not known, how the success of BCI control with different personality traits is associated with interhemispheric asymmetry. In this work, t...

The effects of activation of spinal locomotor centers at the cervical and lumbar levels on interlimb synergies were studied in humans. Subjects were placed on a biomechanical trainer in the supine position and carried out voluntary rhythmic leg movements, moving the carriage of the walking device of the trainer, or performing voluntary arm movement...

Changes in blood supply to the skin of the anterior-lateral surface of the shin of 12 healthy subjects were detected. The analysis was performed using laser Doppler flowmetry during transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (TSCS) by subthreshold bipolar pulses with a frequency of 30 Hz. The TSCS at T7 and L1 vertebrae level leads to a sign...

Работа продолжает исследование механизмов регуляции вентиляторной реакции на чрескожную электрическую стимуляцию спинного мозга (ЧЭССМ), вызывающую локомоторный ответ. Сравнивали реакции дыхательной системы здоровых добровольцев на ЧЭССМ на уровне T12-L1 позвонков, производимую на фоне произвольных и пассивных движений ногами с равными амплитудно-с...

This review addresses the challenge of using brain–computer interface (BCI) systems controlled by imagining lower limb movements and their use in clinical practice. There are significantly fewer studies in this area than of BCI controlled by imaginary arm movements, partly because of methodological difficulties. This review describes various modifi...

The recovery of motor functions in chronic spinal rats with locomotor training on a treadmill combined with electrical stimulation of the spinal cord was studied. Training to a bipedal gait on a moving band with the body weight supported and use of either subcutaneous or epidural electrical stimulation (40 Hz) was performed for five days per week f...

Key points Epidural electrical stimulation (ES) of the spinal cord restores/improves locomotion in patients. ES‐evoked locomotor movements differ to some extent from the normal ones. Operation of the locomotor network during ES is unknown. We compared the activity of individual spinal neurons during locomotion initiated by signals from the brainste...

Sensorimotor function can improve for years, even after a spinal cord injury (SCI). We also know that an effective intervention that can improve motor function is re-engagement of the spinal neural networks through supraspinal control and that this regularity in re-engagement is fundamental to learning within the activated sensorimotor circuits. Se...

Objective The importance of subcortical pathways to functional motor recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) has been demonstrated in multiple animal models. In the current study, we sought to evaluate descending interlimb influence on lumbosacral motor excitability after chronic SCI in humans. Methods Ulnar nerve stimulation and transcutaneous el...

Objective Demonstrate an outcome of comprehensive treatment of an adolescent with fracture-dislocation of the thoracic spine accompanied by deep lower paraplegia and pelvic floor dysfunction using noninvasive percutaneous spinal cord stimulation and mechanical stimulation of the foot bearing surface. Case study Comprehensive treatment was performed...

An increasing number of studies supports the view that transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the spinal cord (TESS) promotes functional recovery in humans with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the neural mechanisms contributing to these effects remain poorly understood. Here we examined motor-evoked potentials in arm muscles elicited by cortic...

This review is dedicated to the memory of Inesa Kozlovskaya, whose contributions to gravitational physiology was and will continue to be decisive. Dr. Kozlovskaya has developed the concept of gravity-dependent motor control and substantiated the role of supporting afferentation in postural – tonic regulation. It was shown that the support afferenta...

Background. Epidural stimulation of the spinal cord can reorganize and change the excitability of the neural circuitry to facilitate stepping in rats with a complete spinal cord injury. Parkinson’s disease results in abnormal supraspinal signals from the brain to the spinal cord that affect the functional capacity of the spinal networks. Objective....

A device − Biokin − for the rehabilitation of patients with neurological motor impairments was developed, with the capacity to provide mechanotherapy in combination with transcutaneous electrical stimulation of the spinal cord and biological feedback. The Biokin device includes a mechanical unit for moving the patient’s lower limbs, a Biostim-5 fiv...

The changes in blood flow in shin skin were analyzed by laser Doppler flowmetry during transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (TSCS) by subthreshold bipolar pulses with a frequency of 30 Hz in 12 healthy subjects. It was shown that TSCS in the area of the T11 and L1 vertebrae led to a significant increase in skin blood flow. With a stimu...

Changes of the blood flow in the shin skin in the case of 12 healthy subjects by laser doppler flowmetry were observed under transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (TSCS) by subthreshold bipolar pulses with a frequency of 30 Hz were detected. It was found that the TSCS in the area of the vertebrae T11 and L1 leads to a significant increa...

We have studied the reaction of the respiratory system to transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation inducing stepping movements of large and small amplitudes. We have shown that the small amplitude of the generated stepping movements was associated with a reduction of the tidal volume, and generated movements with a large amplitude resulted in the ele...

The precise location and functional organization of the spinal neuronal locomotor-related networks in adult mammals remains unclear. Our recent neurophysiological findings provided empirical evidence that the rostral lumbar spinal cord segments play a critical role in the initiation and generation of the rhythmic activation patterns necessary for h...

Changes in the blood flow in the shin skin were observed by laser Doppler flowmetry after transcutaneous electrical spinal cord stimulation (TSCS) by subthreshold bipolar pulses with a frequency of 30 Hz in 12 healthy subjects. It was found that TSCS in the area of the T11 and L1 vertebrae led to a significant increase in skin blood flow. The micro...

It is believed that real movements and those performed mentally (imaginary movements) are functionally similar. This hypothesis is based on the use of the imaginary movement approach for the investigation of the neurophysiological mechanisms of real movements of a person, as well as for rehabilitation and optimization of motor functions. A large bo...

Background: Spinal cord injury causes significant impairments of both motor and pelvic organ functions. Latest studies have shown impressive potentials for using transcutaneous spinal cord electrical stimulation (TcSCES) in the late period of injury to restore motor functions. All results were obtained in a limited number of patients in the specif...

As part of a project aimed to develop a novel, non-invasive techniques for comprehensive assessment of supraspinal-spinal connectivity in humans, the present study sought to explore the convergence of descending vestibulospinal and corticospinal pathways onto lumbosacral motor pools. Transcutaneous electrical spinal stimulation-evoked motor potenti...

In the version of this article originally published, Dimitry G. Sayenko’s affiliations were not correct. The following affiliation for this author was missing: Department of Neurosurgery, Center for Neuroregeneration, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX, USA. This affiliation has been added for the author, and the rest of the affiliat...

Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) of the spinal cord has been shown to restore function after spinal cord injury (SCI). Characterization of EES-evoked motor responses has provided a basic understanding of spinal sensorimotor network activity related to EES-enabled motor activity of the lower extremities. However, the use of EES-evoked motor res...

Spinal sensorimotor networks that are functionally disconnected from the brain because of spinal cord injury (SCI) can be facilitated via epidural electrical stimulation (EES) to restore robust, coordinated motor activity in humans with paralysis1-3. Previously, we reported a clinical case of complete sensorimotor paralysis of the lower extremities...

The loss of limbs or limitations to their motor functions leads to a critical deterioration of the human quality of life. This article presents a brief review about the evolution of prosthetics, the dawn of which dates back to antiquity, and shows its transition to new technologies between the two world wars and in the contemporary era. The authors...

Neuromodulation of spinal networks can improve motor control after spinal cord injury (SCI). The objectives of this study were to (1) determine whether individuals with chronic paralysis can stand with the aid of non-invasive electrical spinal stimulation with their knees and hips extended without trainer assistance, and (2) investigate whether pos...

Abstract The combined effects of cervical electrical stimulation alone or in combination with the monoaminergic agonist buspirone on upper limb motor function were determined in six subjects with motor complete (AIS B) injury at C5 or above and more than one year from time of injury. Voluntary upper limb function was evaluated through measures of c...