My research aims to identify ways to form new circuitry that supports functional recovery after spinal cord injury. My current research program is a synergy and extension of my previous work, utilizing optogenetic spinal stimulation paired with rehabilitation strategies to modulate spinal circuitry and enhance hand and arm recovery after cervical injury in rats. This is further explored using tract tracing techniques to identify changes in both supra- and proprio-spinal circuitry. Our studies look at the independent effects of optogenetic stimulation, as well as the combinatorial effects when optogenetics is paired with other therapeutics such as enzyme degradation or neural stem cells.