Project description DEENESFRITPL Measuring spinal cord activity in health and disease Spinal cord injury or an enhanced sensitivity of spinal cord neurons causes chronic pain. Effective pain management demands a better understanding of the electrophysiological changes that occur at spinal cord level. The EU-funded SpinRec project aims to resolve this issue by developing a non-invasive approach capable of measuring the electrical activity of human spinal neurons. The generated electrospinogram (ESG) will be compatible with brain activity measurements, offering a new way of assessing the spinal cord–brain axis in health and disease. Long term, this tool will enable the early diagnosis and stratification of spinal cord injury patients and those suffering from chronic pain. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Lesions of the spinal cord in humans are devastating and often lead to severe refractory forms of chronic pain. Also, enhanced sensitivity of spinal cord neurons – an abnormal condition called central sensitization – is crucial for the development and maintenance of chronic pain. Effective treatment of pain will depend critically on a better understanding of the electrophysiological changes that occur at spinal cord level. Still, the electrical activity of spinal cord neurons can be assessed only indirectly, unless invasive approaches are used. Due to serious anatomical and physiological hurdles, the availability of a non-invasive approach to measure the electrical activity of human spinal neurons (electrospinogram, ESG) is lacking. This is the problem that SpinRec aims to solve. The product resulting from SpinRec, compatible with simultaneous measures of brain activity (e.g. electroencephalography), will allow for the first time to directly explore spinal sensorimotor circuits in health and disease, and thereby allow cost efficient early diagnosis and stratification of patients with chronic pain and spinal cord injury. Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2019-POC - ERC Proof of Concept Grant Call for proposal ERC-2019-PoC See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-POC-LS - ERC Proof of Concept Lump Sum Pilot Coordinator FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA Net EU contribution € 150 000,00 Address Via morego 30 16163 Genova Italy See on map Region Nord-Ovest Liguria Genova Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA Italy Net EU contribution € 150 000,00 Address Via morego 30 16163 Genova See on map Region Nord-Ovest Liguria Genova Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
