Panel Discussion- Changes in Dorsal Horn Neural Correlations in Neuropathic Pain Are Reversed by Electrical Stimulation
Part of Tuning the Spinal Network: How the Spinal Cord Integrates and Responds to Stimulation
Details
- Date
- Saturday, January 23, 2027
- Time
- 10:50 AM – 11:50 AM
- Session type
- Panel Session
- Schedule
- See this day
About
Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) mediates analgesia by modulating the activity and connectivity of spinal neural circuits. This basic science session will highlight recent advances revealing how dorsal column stimulation spatiotemporally reorganizes the firing dynamics of dorsal horn networks. Presentations will draw on complementary approaches, including computational modeling, in vivo electrophysiological recordings from identified dorsal horn neurons, and optical imaging of molecularly defined neuronal populations. The session will explore how neuropathic pain alters dorsal horn activity, identify emerging biomarkers of pain and therapeutic efficacy, and propose new mechanistic insights into how electrical stimulation exerts its effects. Particular emphasis will be placed on how sensory information flow through the dorsal horn is regulated by inhibitory tone, and how kilohertz-frequency SCS may engage inhibition more effectively than conventional stimulation. Recent two-photon imaging studies of defined inhibitory interneurons will further illustrate how specific SCS parameters shape neuronal activation and network organization.
Presenters
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Warren M. Grill is Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke University. He teaches bioelectricity and fundamentals and applications of electrical stimulation. His research includes restoration of bladder function, treatment of movement disorders with deep brain stimulation, electrical stimulation for treatment of pain, mechanisms of transcranial and intracortical stimulation, and vagus nerve stimulation. He has published 290 peer-reviewed journal articles and been awarded 83 US patents. Grill cofounded NDI Pelvic Health which developed a novel approach to treat overactive bladder and was acquired by Medtronic. He is Cofounder, Director, and CSO of DBI, which is commercializing a novel approach to brain stimulation for neurological disorders, and was Chief Scientific Advisor at SPR Therapeutics, developer of a novel PNS treatment demonstrating sustained relief of chronic pain, which was acquired by Medtronic. He serves as a Consultant to the FDA Neurological Devices Panel, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Neural Engineering, and on the editorial boards of Brain Stimulation, Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering, and Neuromodulation. He is a Fellow of AIMBE, BMES, and the NAI, and winner of the NANS Clinical and Basic Science/Engineering Innovator Award in 2023.