Associate Professor of Neuroscience in Neurological Surgery
The Neuromodulation and Recovery Lab develops and translates spinal neuromodulation strategies to restore motor and autonomic function by precisely modulating sensorimotor networks through epidural and transcutaneous stimulation grounded in mechanistic neurophysiology.
The Neuromodulation and Recovery Lab studies how spinal neuromodulation can restore motor and autonomic function after neurological injury. We focus on epidural and transcutaneous spinal stimulation to modulate sensorimotor networks and enhance residual descending control.
Our central premise is that functional outcomes depend on precise, parameter-specific engagement of spinal circuits defined by stimulation location, intensity, and frequency. Using multimodal methods – including electromyography, kinematics, force measurements, and neuroimaging – we characterize how stimulation shapes motor output. In spinal cord injury and stroke, we develop individualized motor pool maps to identify stimulation configurations that enable task-specific behaviors such as hand function, posture, and stepping.
We differentiate immediate stimulation-enabled effects from longer-term neuroplastic adaptations. We also advance closed-loop neuromodulation strategies that synchronize stimulation with physiological signals to improve selectivity and efficacy. Our work establishes a mechanistic and translational framework for personalized neuromodulation therapies aimed at improving functional independence.
Biography
Dr. Dimitry G. Sayenko earned his MD from the Russian State Medical University in 1996. From 1996 to 2006, he was a researcher at the Institute for Biomedical Problems, Russia’s leading center for biomedical research in human spaceflight. He received a PhD in Aerospace Medicine in 2005 for his work on the effects of microgravity on postural control in cosmonauts and astronauts.
Dr. Sayenko completed postdoctoral training at the National Rehabilitation Center in Japan (2006-2008) and the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute in Canada (2008-2012). He subsequently held faculty appointments at the University of Louisville/Frazier Rehab Institute (2012-2014), studying mechanisms of neuromodulation induced by epidural spinal stimulation, and at UCLA (2014-2018), where he investigated spinal stimulation approaches for sensorimotor recovery after spinal cord injury.
He is currently at the Houston Methodist Research Institute, where his research focuses on the neurophysiological mechanisms, parameter-dependent effects, and clinical translation of both invasive and non-invasive spinal neuromodulation to restore upper- and lower-limb motor and autonomic function after neurological injury, including spinal cord injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease.
Distinctions:
Integration of invasive and non-invasive neuromodulation strategies
First-in-human cervical ESS for upper limb recovery (complete SCI)
NIH R01 PI – spinal neuromodulation and neuroplasticity
