Dr. Lemay's research focuses on studies and applications of the neuronal circuitry for restoring movement after spinal cord injury. His laboratory is interested in studying and utilizing spinal circuits responsible for movements in neural prosthesis applications. Neural prostheses use electrical activation of a damaged nervous system to restore function to the affected individual. Dr. Giszter's laboratory demonstrated the modularity of the spinal frog motor output to intraspinal microstimulation, while my laboratory and a number of other groups have shown similar modules for movement control in the mammalian spinal cord.

The laboratory is currently focusing on elucidating the effects of spinal injury on the spinal motor output and neuronal circuitry, and the interactions between intraspinal microstimulation, neural transplants promoting regeneration and sensorimotor training aimed at shaping the regenerating pathways.

The tools and techniques used include computer-based modeling of limb biomechanics, multiunit neuronal recordings, kinematic analysis of movement behavior and in vivo stimulation and recording of force, motion and muscular activation in preclinical models.

"YAP/TAZ initiate and maintain Schwann cell myelination" [PDF]
M Grove, H Kim, M Santerre, AJ Krupka, SB Han, J Zhai, JY Cho, R Park, M Harris, S Kim, BE Sawaya, SH Kang, MF Barbe, SH Cho, MA Lemay, and YJ Son
eLife, 2017.

"Rehabilitation strategies after spinal cord injury: Inquiry into the mechanisms of success and failure"
MP Côté, M Murray, and MA Lemay
J Neurotrauma, Vol. 34, pp. 1841-1857, 2017.

"Characterization and validation of a split belt treadmill for measuring hindlimb ground-reaction forces in able-bodied and spinalized felines"
M Dimiskovski, R Scheinfield, D Higgin, AJ Krupka, and MA Lemay
J Neurosci Methods, Vol. 278, pp. 65-75, 2017.

"Transplants of neurotrophin-producing autologous fibroblasts promote recovery of treadmill stepping in the acute, sub-chronic, and chronic spinal cat"
AJ Krupka, I Fischer, and MA Lemay
J Neurotrauma, Vol. 34, pp. 1858-1872, 2017.

"Pharmacologically inhibiting kinesin-5 activity with monastrol promotes axonal regeneration following spinal cord injury" [PDF]
C Xu, MC Klaw, MA Lemay, PW Baas, and VJ Tom
Experimental Neurology, Vol. 263, pp. 172-176, 2015.

"Motoneuronal and muscle synergies involved in cat hindlimb control during fictive and real locomotion: a comparison study"
SN Markin, MA Lemay, BI Prilutsky, and IA Rybak
J Neurophysiology, Vol. 107, pp. 2057-2071, 2012.

"Population spatiotemporal dynamics of spinal intermediate zone interneurons during air-stepping in adult spinal cats"
N AuYong, K Ollivier-Lanvin and MA Lemay
J Neurophysiology, Vol. 106, pp. 1943-1953, 2011.

"Electrical stimulation of the sural cutaneous afferent nerve controls the amplitude and onset of the swing phase of locomotion in the spinal cat"
K Ollivier-Lanvin, A Krupka, N AuYong, K Miller, BI Prilutsky and MA Lemay
J Neurophysiology, Vol. 105, pp. 2297-2308, 2011.

"Preferred locomotor phase of activity of lumbar interneurons during air-stepping in sub-chronic spinal cats"
N AuYong, K Ollivier-Lanvin and MA Lemay
J Neurophysiology, Vol. 105, pp. 1011-1022, 2011.

"Afferent control of locomotor CPG: Insights from a simple neuro-mechanical model"
SN Markin, AN Klishko, NA Shevtsova, MA Lemay, BI Prilutsky and IA Rybak
Annals of NY Academy of Science, Vol. 1198, pp. 21-34, 2010.

"Hindlimb endpoint forces predict movement direction evoked with intraspinal microstimulation in cats"
MA Lemay, D Grasse and WM Grill
IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering 2009.

"Modularity of endpoint force patterns evoked using intraspinal microstimulation in treadmill trained and/or neurotrophin treated chronic spinal cats"
VS Boyce, and MA Lemay
J. Neurophysiology 2009.

"Role of biomechanics and muscle activation strategy in the production of endpoint force patterns in the cat hindlimb"
MA Lemay, M Bhowmik-Stoker, GC McConnell and WM Grill
The Journal of Biomechanics, Vol. 40, pp. 3679-3687, 2007.

"Neurotrophic factors promote and enhance locomotor recovery in untrained spinalized cats"
"Could neurotrophins replace treadmill training as locomotor therapy following spinal cord injury?"
VS Boyce, M Tumolo, I Fischer, M Murray and MA Lemay
J. Neurophysiology, Vol. 98, pp. 1988-96, in same issue. 2007.

"Fibrillation potentials following spinal cord injury: Improvement with neurotrophins and exercise"
AS Burns, VS Boyce, A Tessler and MA Lemay
Muscle and Nerve, Vol. 35, pp. 607-613, 2007.

"Abnormal spontaneous potentials in distal muscles in animal models of spinal cord injury"
AS Burns, MA Lemay and A Tessler
Muscle and Nerve, Vol. 31, pp. 46-51, 2005.

"Modularity of motor output evoked by intraspinal microstimulation in cats"
MA Lemay and WM Grill
J. Neurophysiol., Vol. 91, pp. 502-514, 2004.