My primary research interest is in the application of functional electrical stimulation (FES) to provide disabled individuals with increased independence and improved quality of life. In particular, I have focused my work on FES as applied to cervical level spinal cord injury. These individuals have paralyzed muscles in both their hands and arms.…
Bladder dysfunction resulting from neurological disease or spinal cord injury can have a devastating clinical impact. Our goal is to understand the complex interactions involved in the systems-level neural organization and control of bladder and urethral function. We use this information to develop neural prostheses or rehabilitative techniques that interface with the nervous system and…
Strategic Collaborations The FES Center believes strongly in collaborative research, and works closely with many groups across the country on a wide variety of research projects centered around neuromodulation, neural rehabilitation, neural prostheses, brain-computer interfaces, deep brain stimulation, and more. We strive to stay at the front of new fields of neural stimulation research and…
I think it is important as the FES Center’s Medical Director to keep focus on the clinical problems at hand and those issues that are relevant to our patients and veterans. The signature injuries of our war have been traumatic brain injury and PTSD. These areas have a large patient population with needs that potentially…
Since I joined the FES Center in 1993, my primary research area has been the restoration of arm function in individuals with paralysis resulting from cervical spinal cord injury, primarily through the use of FNS. Areas of Interest Using a model of the shoulder adapted to reflect cervical spinal cord injuries to evaluate potential interventions…
Bladder dysfunction resulting from neurological disease or spinal cord injury can have a devastating clinical impact. Our goal is to understand the complex interactions involved in the systems-level neural organization and control of bladder and urethral function. We use this information to develop neural prostheses or rehabilitative techniques that interface with the nervous system and…
“The nervous system really uses electricity as its language,” says Robert Kirsch, chair of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University and executive director of the Cleveland FES Center.
Researchers are investigating what causes patients to freeze while walking and how it can be avoided.
CLEVELAND — Ground-breaking, life-changing research is happening at MetroHealth Medical Center when it comes to spinal cord injuries and giving people function back.
Cleveland FES Center using deep brain stimulation to study gait, balance impairment