Cynthia N. Acosta
Papers
3
Total Citations
143
H-Index
3
About
Cynthia N. Acosta is a leading researcher in neurorehabilitation, with a primary focus on restoring locomotor function after spinal cord injury (SCI). Her work bridges robotics, pharmacology, and behavioral neuroscience to understand and enhance recovery. Acosta’s most impactful contribution is her 2005 study on hindlimb loading after spinal cord transection, which demonstrated that the amount of weight supported during stepping directly determines both the quantity and quality of locomotor recovery—a finding cited 86 times and foundational for designing rehabilitation protocols. She further advanced the field by combining robotic-assisted treadmill training with chronic quipazine treatment in spinally transected rats, showing that this dual approach can significantly improve stepping patterns (48 citations). Acosta also pioneered the use of a robotic body weight support system for precise, objective outcome assessment in rodent models, enabling researchers to quantify external support needs during stepping. Her work has been instrumental in shifting SCI rehabilitation toward data-driven, technology-assisted interventions, and her innovative use of robotics for both training and assessment has set new standards in preclinical locomotor research.
Research Focus
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