Alexander Ovechkin, MD, PhD Research Focus

Research focus

The Neuromodulatory Rehabilitation Research Laboratory, led by Dr. Alexander Ovechkin, focuses on the development of innovative therapeutic strategies to restore locomotor, respiratory, and cardiovascular function in individuals with spinal cord injury and other neurological disorders. The lab integrates non-invasive and invasive neuromodulation techniques with rigorous physiological assessments to uncover mechanisms of neuroplasticity and to evaluate their clinical translation. Our research emphasizes personalized rehabilitation protocols targeting autonomic and motor dysfunctions, using electrophysiological monitoring, translational animal models, and human clinical trials.

Key research areas

• Respiratory motor control after spinal cord injury
• Cardiovascular-autonomic dysfunction and rehabilitation
• Non-invasive spinal cord stimulation (transcutaneous)
• Invasive spinal neuromodulation (epidural stimulation)
• Mechanisms of neuroplasticity in chronic SCI
• Evaluation of cough and airway clearance mechanisms
• Respiratory-cardiovascular coupling
• Personalized rehabilitation protocols
• Translational models of SCI recovery
• Neuromodulation for multi-system recovery (motor, autonomic, respiratory)

Current projects 

• Transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation to improve respiratory function (NHLBI R01HL168294, PI: Ovechkin)
• Epidural spinal cord stimulation and respiratory motor control (NHLBI R01HL150581, PI: Ovechkin)
• Noninvasive spinal stimulation to restore locomotor function post-SCI (NINDS R01NS102920, PI: Ovechkin)

Team

• Alexander Ovechkin – Director, Professor of Neurological Surgery
• Andrea Willhite – Senior Project Manager
• Liubov Amirova – Senior Researcher
• Aastha Suthar – Postdoctoral Research Associate
• Niraj Tharu – Graduate Research Assistant, Interdisciplinary Program in Translational Neuroscience
• Kristin Benton – Activity-Based Interventions Manager
• Aaron Bullock – Research Coordinator
• Ines Shekhovtsov – Research Technician
• Mathew Peveler – Research Technician

Recent publications

• Siu R, Brown EH, Mesbah S, Gonnelli F, Pisolkar T, Edgerton VR, Ovechkin AV, Gerasimenko YP. (2022) Novel Noninvasive Spinal Neuromodulation Strategy Facilitates Recovery of Stepping after Motor Complete Paraplegia. J Clin Med. 2022 Jun 25;11(13). doi: 10.3390/jcm11133670. PubMed PMID: 35806954; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9267673.
• Ovechkin A, Moshonkina T, Shandybina N, Lyakhovetskii V, Gorodnichev R, Moiseev S, Siu R, Gerasimenko Y. (2023) Transcutaneous Spinal Cord Stimulation Facilitates Respiratory Functional Performance in Patients with Post-acute COVID-19. Life. 2023 jul 14;13(7):1563. doi.org/10.3390/life13071563. PubMed PMID:37511940. PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10381407.
• Ovechkin A., Moshonkina T., Shamantseva N., Lyakhovetskii V., Suthar A., Tharu N., Ng A., & Gerasimenko Y. (2024). Spinal Neuromodulation for Respiratory Rehabilitation in Patients with Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome. Life (Basel). 2024 Nov 20;14(11). doi: 10.3390/life14111518. PubMed PMID: 39598315; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC11595457.
• Tharu NS, Suthar A, Gerasimenko Y, Castillo C, Ng A, Ovechkin A. (2024) Noninvasive Electrical Modalities to Alleviate Respiratory Deficits Following Spinal Cord Injury. Life (Basel). 2024 Dec 13;14(12):1657. doi: 10.3390/life14121657. PMID: 39768364; PMCID: PMC11728181.
• Fatima F, Tharu NS, Castillo C, Ng A, Gerasimenko Y, Ovechkin A. (2025) Mechanism-Based Neuromodulation in Augmenting Respiratory Motor Function in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury. J Clin Med. 2025 May 29;14(11):3827. doi: 10.3390/jcm14113827. PMID: 40507584; PMCID: PMC12155934