Karen Minassian

Medical University of Vienna, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Papers

Total Citations

172

H-Index

About

Karen Minassian is a leading neuroscientist whose research focuses on the neural control of human locomotion, specifically the role of spinal circuitry in generating rhythmic movement after severe spinal cord injury. Her major contributions lie in demonstrating that the human lumbosacral spinal cord can produce coordinated, locomotor-like activity even when completely isolated from brain input, a phenomenon driven by central pattern generators (CPGs). In her highly cited 2015 study (137 citations), she showed that combining step-induced sensory feedback with transcutaneous electrical stimulation of posterior root afferents can evoke spinal rhythm generation in individuals with complete spinal cord injury. Her 2017 work further probed these circuits, revealing how phasic step-related feedback and tonic electrical or pharmacological neuromodulation can engage the spinal locomotor network. Minassian’s research has profound implications for developing non-invasive neuromodulation therapies to restore walking function after paralysis. Her work bridges fundamental neurophysiology and clinical rehabilitation, establishing her as a key figure in spinal cord injury research and advancing our understanding of how to harness the spinal cord’s intrinsic rhythmic capacity for recovery.