Taking a Stand (Episode 135)
Guest: David Darrow
Today, we're talking to Dr. David Darrow for a second time. Check out episode 30 for our first discussion back in 2019. David is a neurosurgeon and assistant professor in the departments of neurosurgery and psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. Many of you will also know that he is a researcher and the primary investigator of the successful and ongoing E-STAND clinical trial, which uses epidural stimulation and optimization protocols for delivering functional outcomes for the SCI community. We discussed the E-STAND trial, how it's progressing, and highlights from its now eight years of running. We also talk about the FDA and the quandary of determining what is meaningful in the eyes of research participants, as well as with regulators. And we get into spinal cord stimulation data sharing, the exciting horizon of combinatorial therapies, and much, much more. As you will hear on this call, David is a smart, innovative, forward-thinking ally of the SCI community.
Listen on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Soundcloud
Bumper music: Dig a Hole by Freaque
Guest Bio
Dr. David Darrow is board-certified pain and functional neurosurgeon, Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 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.
Dr. Darrow is co-PI of the Herman-Darrow Human Neuroscience Lab with a mission of understanding and treating disorders of the nervous system with neuromodulation. The Herman-Darrow Lab links together circuit-level electrophysiology with behavior. By pairing neuromodulation with a quantitative understanding of the pathological circuits of the brain, the lab hopes to help patients improve symptoms and quality of life.
Dr. Darrow is also the PI of the Restorative Neurotrauma Lab at HCMC where electrophysiology and neuromodulation are used to better understand and treat traumatic injuries of the central nervous system. He is the PI for 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.
Connect with David Darrow here:
- Email: darro015@umn.edu
- Facebook: @DrDavidDarrow
- Instagram: @DavidDarrowMD
- LinkedIn: @DPDarrow
- Twitter: @daviddarrow
- BlueSky: @drdaviddarrow
- TikTok: @DavidDarrowMD
- Website: Hermann Darrow Human Neuroscience Lab
Related Podcast
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Listen back to our interview with Dr. Darrow from 2019 when the E-Stand trial was starting to show results.
Related Resources
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The goal of this trial is to test and optimize the use of epidural spinal cord stimulation to restore volitional movement in patients suffering from chronic complete motor spinal cord injury and paraplegia.
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Check out the Herman-Darrow Human Neuroscience Lab, a human brain research lab out of the University of Minnesota. They study the brain networks of mood, behavior, and cognition in people living with motor disorders, psychiatric disorders, and chronic pain.
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