One of the greatest challenges of modern neuroscience is to understand how neural circuits generate behaviors. The main research interest of our group focuses on sensorimotor integration in the spinal cord and brainstem under physiological and pathophysiological conditions. More specifically, we are interested in revealing the pathways and understanding the mechanisms involved in the capacity of sensory and descending input to activate spinal neural networks that control coordinated stepping in mammals. Our studies combine basic research performed on rodent models, and clinical human studies. The human studies are done in collaboration with the department of Rehabilitation Neurology at the Sheba Medical Center, and are focused at enhancing the motor capacity of spinal cord injury patients by sensory-retraining of the spinal stepping generator and at reducing the occurrence of spastic episodes in these patients.