BREATHE Steering Committee member, Dr. Elisa Gonzalez-Rothi, was recently awarded an R01 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Her project: Combinatorial respiratory rehabilitation approaches to enhance breathing recovery after cervical spinal cord injury, will investigate combining therapeutic acute intermittent hypoxia (tAIH) with task-specific respiratory training methods, such as physical exercise and exposure to elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2; e.g., hypercapnia).
Cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts signals to the muscles responsible for breathing, often leading to impaired respiration. While most SCIs are incomplete, there is significant potential for recovery by harnessing neuroplasticity and strengthening spared neural pathways.
By pairing tAIH with these forms of automatic respiratory training, Gonzalez-Rothi aims to maximize breathing recovery in cases of chronic, incomplete cervical SCI. This research will clarify how this combinatorial treatment impacts key neural circuits, helping to accelerate breakthroughs from preclinical models to clinical practice. These discoveries have promise not just for restoring breathing in SCI, but for informing future clinical trials that seek enduring improvements in respiratory function for people with mobility challenges. Congratulations, Dr. Gonzalez-Rothi!