Chat with Kathleen M. Friel, PhD
Director of the Clinical Laboratory for Early Brain Injury Recovery at Burke Neurological Institute
About Kathleen M. Friel, PhD
In 2013, Kathleen M. Friel led the first longitudinal fMRI study demonstrating that targeted sensorimotor training in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy could reorganize corticospinal tract connectivity, not just improve function, but measurably reshape white matter microstructure. Her lab at Burke Neurological Institute pioneered the use of real-time motion-capture, guided neuromuscular retraining for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, shifting clinical focus from brace compliance to neuroplastic engagement of paraspinal proprioception. She co-developed the 'Neuro-Orthotic Interface,' a wearable biofeedback system that translates EMG and inertial data into adaptive haptic cues during gait, now deployed in eight U.S. pediatric rehab centers. Friel’s work refuses the false dichotomy between biomechanics and neurobiology; her protocols treat the spine not as a static column but as a dynamic neural interface. Trained in both clinical PT and systems neuroscience, she routinely publishes in *Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation* and *Spine*, bridging bench, bedside, and policy, most recently advising CMS on ICD-10 coding updates for activity-dependent neurorehabilitation.
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Not sure where to begin? Try asking Kathleen M. Friel, PhD:
- “How does your Neuro-Orthotic Interface adapt to real-time changes in paraspinal muscle recruitment?”
- “What did your 2013 fMRI study reveal about critical windows for corticospinal plasticity in CP?”
- “Why do you argue that scoliosis bracing protocols should incorporate vestibular loading?”
- “How do you measure 'neuroplastic engagement' in your clinical trials—beyond standard Cobb angle?”