Michel Lemay, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Neural Prosthesis and Spinal Circuitry
My laboratory is interested in studying and utilizing spinal circuits responsible for movements in neural prosthesis applications. Neural prostheses use electrical activation of a damaged nervous system to restore function to the affected individual (http://npp.ninds.nih.gov/). Dr. Giszter's Laboratory demonstrated the modularity of the spinal frog motor output to intraspinal microstimulation, while my laboratory and a number of other groups have shown similar primitives for movement control in the mammalian spinal cord. The laboratory is currently focusing on elucidating the effects of spinal injury on the spinal motor ouput, and the interactions between intraspinal microstimulation, neural transplants promoting regeneration, and sensorimotor training aimed at shaping the regenerating pathways. The tools and techniques used include computer-based modeling of limb biomechanics, kinematic analysis of movement behavior, and in vivo stimulation and recording of force, motion and muscular activation in pre-clinical models.
Biography:
Michel Lemay, Assistant Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy, received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University. Following training as an NIDRR and SCRF post-doctoral fellow at M.I.T. and as a Research Associate at Case Western Reserve, Dr. Lemay joined the faculty at MCP Hahnemann University in 2001.
Selected Publications
Lemay, M.A., J.E. Galagan, N. Hogan, E. Bizzi (2001). Modulation and vectorial summation of the spinalized frog's hindlimb end-point forces produced by intraspinal electrical stimulation of the cord. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering 9:1-12. (abstract)
Barbeau, H., D.A. McCrea, M.J. O'Donovan, S. Rossignol, W.M. Grill, M.A. Lemay (1999). Tapping into spinal circuits to restore motor function. Brain Research Reviews 30:27-51. (abstract)
Lemay, M.A., W.M. Grill (2000). Endpoint force patterns evoked by intraspinal stimulation- ipsilateral and contralateral responses in the cat. World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering.
Giszter, S.F., W.M. Grill, M.A. Lemay, V. Mushahwar, A. Prochazka (2001) "Intraspinal microstimulation: techniques, perspectives and prospects for FES", in: Neural prostheses for restoration of sensory and motor function, KA Moxon and JK Chapin (eds) CRC Press, pp. 101-138.
MA Lemay, JE Galagan, N Hogan, and E Bizzi, "Modulation and vectorial
summation of the spinalized frog's hindlimb end-point forces produced by
intraspinal electrical stimulation of the cord," IEEE Transactions on Neural
Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, Vol. 9, pp. 12-23, 2001.
(abstract)
WM Grill, and MA Lemay "Control of movement by intraspinal stimulation in the
cat," 31th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, 2001.
M Bhowmik, CA Tobias, I Fischer, M Murray, and MA Lemay "Locomotor recovery
promoted by sensorimotor training and the graft of fibroblasts genetically
engineered to produce BDNF and NT3 in the injured cat spinal cord" 28th
Northeast Bioengineering Conference, 2002.
MA Lemay, GC McConnell, T Kao, DM Joyce, and WM Grill "Endpoint forces obtained
during intraspinal microstimulation of the cat lumbar spinal cord - experimental
and biomechanical model results" 28th Northeast Bioengineering Conference, 2002.
JA Scabich, GCR Ellis-Davies, MA Lemay, and SF Giszter, “Testing of photolytic
uncaging with intraspinal fiber optics as a basis for motor neuroprostheses”
28th Annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference, 2002.
VS Boyce, M Bhowmik, MA Tumolo, CA Tobias, I Fischer, M Murray and MA Lemay,
“Locomotor recovery in spinalized cats using sensorimotor training and
transplants of fibroblasts genetically modified to produce BDNF and NT-3
neurotrophins”. Proceedings of the 32st Annual Meeting of the Society for
Neuroscience, 2002.
SF Giszter, JT Scabich, G Ellis-Davies, KJ Simansky, and MA Lemay, “Photolytic
uncaging of neurotransmitters as a control and stimulation device for neural
tissues”. Proceedings IEEE/EMBS, Austin, TX, 2002.
VS Boyce, M Bhowmik, MA Tumolo, I Fischer, M Murray and MA Lemay, “Sensorimotor
training and transplants of BDNF and NT-3 fibroblasts: their effect on locomotor
recovery in spinalized cats”. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Meeting of the
Society for Neuroscience, 2003.
MA Lemay and VS Boyce, “Effects of chronic spinalization, sensorimotor training
and neuroregenerative transplants on hindlimb force patterns evoked via
intraspinal microstimulation in the cat”. Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Meeting
of the Society for Neuroscience, 2003.
MA Lemay and WM Grill, “Modularity of motor ouptut evoked by intraspinal
microstimulation in cats” J Neurophysiol, Vol. 91, pp. 502-514, 2004.
(abstract)
AS Burns, MA Lemay and A Tessler, “Spontaneous potentials in animal models of
spinal cord injury”. Muscle and Nerve, Vol. 31, pp. 46-51, 2005.
(abstract)