Not only is rehabilitation therapy vital for maintaining the general health of spinal cord injured individuals, but now evidence is accumulating that shows how vigorous repetitive exercise can exploit neural plasticity both above and below the injury site, leading to an improvement in walking and standing capacity. This type of locomotor training program may also bring about changes at the molecular level, improving axon regeneration and neural communication.

The CDRF has launched the NeuroRecovery Network grant program to provide support for the translation of basic science and applied research into intensive activity-based rehabilitation treatments. This will also include the establishment of specialized centers that provide standardized care based on current scientific and clinical evidence. The program is funded by a joint agreement between the CDRF and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Initially the NeuroRecovery Network will support programs involving the therapeutic use of locomotor training using body weight support on a treadmill. The Network's longer-term goals include: maximizing the availability and quality of rehabilitative care for patients with spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders; developing a comprehensive database to track the success of activity-based therapeutic interventions; identifying the optimal locomotor training regimens for specific patient populations; and maintaining an administrative network that can supply logistical, technical, and personnel-based support for rehabilitation programs.

This program is funded by Grant/Cooperative Agreement Number U10/CCU220379 between CDRF and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Members of the NeuroRecovery Network (as of January 2007):

Director, Susan Harkema, PhD, Department of Neurological Surgery, Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville and Frazier Rehab Institute.

Frazier Rehab Institute
Louisville, KY, Lead Center
Director, Mark Sheridan

Magee Rehabilitation Hospital
Philadelphia, PA
Director, Mary Schmidt, P.T., M.S.

The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR)
Houston, TX
Daniel E. Graves, PhD, Director

Shepherd Center
Atlanta, GA
Sarah Morrison, PT, Director

Boston Medical Center
Boston, MA
Steve Williams, MD, Director

Kessler Medical Rehabilitation Research and Education Center/Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation
West Orange, NJ
Sue Ann Sisto, PT, Ph.D., Gail Forrest, Ph.D., Directors

Ohio State University Medical Center - Dodd Hall
Columbus, OH
D. Michele Basso, Ed.D., Director

Advisory Board:
Moses V. Chao, Ph.D., Skirball Institute, New York University Medical Center
V. Reggie Edgerton, Ph.D., Departments of Physiological Science and Neurobiology, University of California, Los Angeles
Michael Fehlings, M.D., Ph.D., The Toronto Western Research Institute
Andrei Krassioukov, M.D., Ph.D., ICORD, University of British Columbia
Shelley Sorani, M.A., San Francisco, CA