Professor of Physical Medicine, College of Staten Island/CUNY & Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University
Contact details
Telephone: 001 718 982 3316
Email: knikou(@)mail.csi.cuny.edu
Degrees:
Ph.D., Bioengineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
M.Sc., Biomechanics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
B.Sc., Physical Education, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
B.Sc., Physical Therapy, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Research Interests: Research on motor control, spasticity, spinal cord injury, electrophysiology, sensorimotor recovery of patients with neurological disorders
Biography
Dr. Knikou is a neurophysiologist working for more than 15 years on delineating the neural basis of movement and muscle tone in people with and without an injury and after training. Her recent research work concentrate on 1) functional reorganization of cortico-spinal connections after treadmill training in people with motor incomplete spinal cord injury and stroke, 2) neurophysiological characterization of cervical and thoracic transpinal evoked potentials in humans, and 3) strengthening of corticospinal connections through transpinal stimulation. Her main aim is the use of current available rehabilitation strategies in a more effective way and to develop new rehabilitation strategies to promote functional recovery of impaired movement in people with a spinal cord injury and post-stroke. Findings from Dr. Knikous studies will transform our understanding on the capabilities of the injured human nervous system to reorganize. This will lead to patient-orientated rehabilitation strategies and improvement of clinical decision making.