Human Cortical Physiology and Stroke Neurorehabilitation Section - Division of Intramural Research

 Leonardo G.  Cohen  M.D., Senior Investigator

Dr. Cohen received his MD from the University of Buenos Aires. He did his neurology residency at Georgetown University and received postdoctoral training in clinical neurophysiology at the Department of Neurology, University of California (Irvine) and in motor control and movement disorders at the Human Motor Control Section, NINDS. In 1998 he became chief of the Human Cortical Physiology Section, NINDS. He received the prestigious Humboldt award (1999) from the Republic of Germany and is an elected member of the American Neurological Association. Dr. Cohen's lab is interested in the mechanisms underlying plastic changes in the human central nervous system and in the development of novel therapeutic approaches for recovery of function based on the understanding of these mechanisms.

Laboratory Staff

Mitsunari Abe, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Ethan Buch, , Predoctoral Fellow
Katherine Deutsch, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Michael  Dimyan, M.D., Clinical Fellow
Alissa Fourkas, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Michelle Harris-Love, Ph.D., Research Fellow
Stephanie Maxfield Panker, , Doctoral Student
Susanne Morton, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
Shashi Ravindran, M.P.H., Senior Research Assistant , 301-402- 1916
Heidi Schambra, M.D., Clinical Postdoctoral Fellow
Nick Sharma, M.D., Clinical Postdoctoral Fellow
Sylvie Song, Ph.D., Predoctoral Fellow
Benjamin Xu, Ph.D., Staff Scientist

Research Interests

The goal of our activity is to understand the mechanisms underlying plastic changes in the human central nervous system (CNS) and to develop novel therapeutic approaches for recovery of function based on these advances. Our work has focused on the human motor system and on plastic changes taking place across sensory modalities for example in blind individuals (crossmodal plasticity). We have studied cortical reorganization in patients with CNS lesions in particular stroke and traumatic brain injury. In healthy volunteers, we studied cortical plasticity associated with deafferentation and motor skill learning.

Clinical Protocols

Enhancement of rehabilitative treatment-dependent functional recovery after stroke by tDCS   04-N-0212

Influence of lesion location on cortical reorganization after chronic stroke   07-N-0154

Interhemispheric Interactions Associated with Performance of Voluntary Movements in Patients with Stroke Motor Disability   02-N-0104

Effects of Unilateral and Bilateral Training on Motor Function in Chronic Stroke   05-N-0142

LONG -TERM IMPROVEMENT IN TRAINING EFFECTS BY TRANSCRANIAL DC STIMULATION   06-N-0138

Modulation of motor function by stimulation of the central and peripheral nervous system.   07-N-0122

Selected Recent Publications

Birbaumer N, Ramos A, Murguialday AR and LG Cohen
Brain-computer interface in paralysis - Current Opinion in Neurology    2008

Duque J, Mazzocchio R, Stefan K, Hummel F, Olivier F and LG Cohen.
Memory formation in the motor cortex ipsilateral to a training hand - Cerebral Cortex  18 1395-1406 2008

Perez M and LG Cohen
Activity-dependent changes in motor cortical circuits ipsilateral to a moving hand - Journal of Neuroscience  28 5631-40 2008

Perez M, Tanaka S, Wise S, Sadato N, Tanabe HC, Willingham DT and LG Cohen.
Neural substrates underlying intermanual transfer of a newly acquired motor skill - Current Biology  17 1896-1902 2007

Hummel F and LG Cohen
Noninvasive brain stimulation. A novel strategy to enhance neurorehabilitation after stroke? - Lancet Neurology   5 707-12 2006

Amedi A, Floel A, Knetch S, Zohary E and LG Cohen
Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the occipital pole interferes with verbal processing in blind subjects - Nature Neuroscience  7 1266-1270 2004

Selected Earlier Publications

Contact Information

Human Cortical Physiology and Stroke Neurorehabilitation Section Medical Neurology Branch, NINDS  Building 10, Room 5N226  10 Center Drive MSC 1430 Bethesda MD  20892-1430

Telephone: 301-496- 9782 (office), - - (laboratory), 301-402- 1007 (fax), Email: cohenl@ninds.nih.gov