Restorative Neurotrauma Lab
Key Researcher
David Darrow, MD, MPH
Principal Investigator
Dr. David Darrow grew up in Plano, TX, before heading to Texas A&M University to complete a degree in Physics and a degree in Mathematics. He attended medical and graduate school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX. Following devastating hurricanes, Dr. Darrow ran a free clinic and public health programs in Texas.
He completed his Master’s in Public Health and developed a passion for treating and understanding diseases of the brain and mind. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including AOA, GHHS, McGovern Award, and MLK Service Award.
Dr. Darrow is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Minnesota and the Rockswold-Kaplan Endowed Chair for Traumatic Brain Injury at Hennepin County Medical Center, specializing in functional and pain neurosurgery. Dr. Darrow treats diseases of the central nervous system with neuromodulation, including epilepsy, movement disorders, trigeminal neuralgia/facial pain, chronic pain, and psychiatric diseases.
Key Researcher
Samuel Cramer, MD, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Cramer is a neurosurgeon at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) and Co-Director of the Restorative Neurotrauma Laboratory (RNL) at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI). He is the Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) of the clinical trial for Cortical Spreading Depolarization (CSD) for patients who experience severe traumatic brain injury.
Dr. Cramer completed his undergrad at the University of Minnesota (U of M). His strong interest in neuroscience, the nervous system, and helping folks with different neurological illnesses led him to further his education at the U of M for his degrees as a Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). His research focuses on exploring different diagnostic and interventional modalities for traumatic brain and spinal cord injury.
Restorative Neurotrauma Lab
Despite advances in patient care after traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, traumatic injuries to the nervous system still confer a high morbidity and mortality. The development of effective treatments and therapies to minimize complications of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) is of paramount importance.
Yet, they have been hindered due to a fundamental lack of understanding of the injury processes. In order to be the leading institution for the treatment of traumatic injuries to the brain and spinal cord, a better understanding of the underlying physiology and pathology (basic science) must inform personalized and novel treatment strategies (translation) built on a foundation of ceaseless clinical improvements (quality improvement). The Restorative Neurotrauma Lab (RNL) at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) aims to investigate and bolster promising treatments/therapies through a multifaceted approach by integrating clinical and academic expertise.
Dr. Darrow is interested in functional neurosurgery and the treatment of functional diseases of the central nervous system, including epilepsy, movement disorders, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and psychiatric diseases. Through his research, he works directly with biomedical engineers to unify noninvasive and invasive forms of neuromodulation with validated, model-based approaches and control theory. He specializes in clinical trials and the application of novel devices and algorithms to optimize and understand neuromodulation approaches to treating disease.
Dr. Cramer is a dual-trained neurosurgeon and neuroscientist with a profound passion for advancing the treatment of neurological illness through innovative research and clinical practice. His research interest lies particularly in novel treatments for spinal cord injuries, cutting-edge neuromonitoring techniques, and the exploration of neuromodulation approaches for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and neuropsychiatric conditions.
Together, they are the Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PIs) of the RNL at HHRI, where electrophysiology and neuromodulation are used to better understand and treat traumatic injuries of the central nervous system. Among many other studies, this lab houses the E-STAND trial, where neuromodulation is used to restore function after Spinal Cord Injury. In collaboration with many other investigators, the team is testing neuromodulation to restore volitional movement and autonomic function using algorithmic, personalized approaches through remote data collection.
- Epidural Neuromodulation for Spinal Cord Injury (E-STAND)
- Cortical spreading depolarization after severe traumatic brain injury (CSD)
- Depth electrode detection of cortical spreading depolarization after traumatic brain injury (Depth)
- Epidural Neuromodulation for Spinal Cord Injuries Long Term (LTO)
- StiMulating After Recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury (SMART)
- Link to PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30667299/
- Injuries from Less-Lethal Weapons during the George Floyd Protests in Minneapolis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33440082/ - Optimization of Spinal Cord Stimulation Using Bayesian Preference Learning and Its Validation
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34543198/ - Discrepancy Between Internal and External Intracranial Pressure Transducers: Quantification of an Old Source of Error in EVDs?
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31394360/ - Advances in Epidural Spinal Cord Stimulation to Restore Function after Spinal Cord Injury: History and Systematic Review https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/neu.2022.0007
- The safety of epidural spinal cord stimulation to restore function after spinal cord injury: post-surgical complications and incidence of cardiovascular events https://www.nature.com/articles/s41393-022-00822-w
- Effect of epidural spinal cord stimulation after chronic spinal cord injury on volitional movement and cardiovascular function: study protocol for the phase II open-label controlled ESTAND trial https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/12/7/e059126.full.pdf
- Mapping Spinal Cord Stimulation-Evoked Muscle Responses in Patients with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1094715922013605?via%3Dihub
- Reliability of visual review of intracranial electroencephalogram in identifying the seizure onset zone: A systematic review and implications for the accuracy of automated methods https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/epi.17446
- Long-Term Spinal Cord Stimulation After Chronic Complete Spinal Cord Injury Enables Volitional Movement in the Absence of Stimulation https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnsys.2020.00035/full
- The Language of Less-Lethal Weapons https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2117779119?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&url_ver=Z39.88-2003
- Mapping spreading depolarisations after traumatic brain injury: a pilot clinical study protocol https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35831043/
Ava Grotting, BS
Research Coordinator
Ava completed her bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion and Health Equity at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she developed a strong interest in research and health equity. Working in non-profit and healthcare settings has encouraged her to explore the ways research can expand health equity and improve health outcomes in populations that have been historically left behind by the healthcare system.
Srinidhi Satish (Nidhi), MPH
Research Coordinator
Nidhi graduated from St. Olaf College with a degree in Biology and Psychology. She went on to get her MPH degree from Tufts University in Boston, MA. She developed a passion for public health and clinical care and finds research to be a fantastic medium to address issues in both areas of her interest. She is interested in research and how vital it is for furthering medicine and making healthcare more accessible and equitable for everyone.
Key Researcher
David Darrow, MD, MPH
Principal Investigator
Dr. David Darrow grew up in Plano, TX, before heading to Texas A&M University to complete a degree in Physics and a degree in Mathematics. He attended medical and graduate school at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, TX. Following devastating hurricanes, Dr. Darrow ran a free clinic and public health programs in Texas.
He completed his Master’s in Public Health and developed a passion for treating and understanding diseases of the brain and mind. He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including AOA, GHHS, McGovern Award, and MLK Service Award.
Dr. Darrow is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Minnesota and the Rockswold-Kaplan Endowed Chair for Traumatic Brain Injury at Hennepin County Medical Center, specializing in functional and pain neurosurgery. Dr. Darrow treats diseases of the central nervous system with neuromodulation, including epilepsy, movement disorders, trigeminal neuralgia/facial pain, chronic pain, and psychiatric diseases.
Key Researcher
Samuel Cramer, MD, PhD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Cramer is a neurosurgeon at Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) and Co-Director of the Restorative Neurotrauma Laboratory (RNL) at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI). He is the Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) of the clinical trial for Cortical Spreading Depolarization (CSD) for patients who experience severe traumatic brain injury.
Dr. Cramer completed his undergrad at the University of Minnesota (U of M). His strong interest in neuroscience, the nervous system, and helping folks with different neurological illnesses led him to further his education at the U of M for his degrees as a Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). His research focuses on exploring different diagnostic and interventional modalities for traumatic brain and spinal cord injury.