Motor Recovery & Neurorehabilitation
Research on the use of non-invasive brain stimulation and rehabilitation strategies to improve motor outcomes after stroke, amputation, and other neurological disorders.
Key Publications
- Gunduz ME, Pinto CB, Saleh Velez FG, et al. Motor cortex reorganization in limb amputation: a systematic review of TMS motor mapping studies. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2020.
- Bonin Pinto C, Morales-Quezada L, de Toledo Piza PV, et al. Combining fluoxetine and rTMS in poststroke motor recovery: a placebo-controlled double-blind randomized phase 2 clinical trial. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. 2019.
- Pinto CB, Saleh Velez FG, Lopes F, et al. SSRI and motor recovery in stroke: reestablishment of inhibitory neural network tonus. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2017.
Cognitive Recovery & Dementia
Research on neuromodulation for cognitive impairment following stroke and in neurodegenerative diseases, with emphasis on attention, memory, and executive function.
Key Publications
- Owens CD, Pinto CB, Mukli P, et al. Neurovascular coupling, functional connectivity, and cerebrovascular endothelial extracellular vesicles as biomarkers of mild cognitive impairment. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. 2024. 2020.
- Owens CD, Pinto CB, Mukli P, et al. COVID-19 exacerbates neurovascular uncoupling and contributes to endothelial dysfunction in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Biomolecules. 2024.
- Bonin Pinto CB, Bielefeld J, Barroso J, et al.Chronic pain domains and their relationship to personality, abilities, and brain networks. Pain. 2023 2017.
Mechanistic Neurophysiology & Neurovascular Coupling
Mechanistic studies using EEG, fNIRS, robotic TCD, and combined methods to understand cortical excitability, oscillatory activity, and blood flow regulation during recovery.
Key Publications
- Owens CD, Pinto CB, Mukli P, et al.. Neurovascular coupling impairment as a mechanism for cognitive deficits in COVID-19. Brain Communications. 2024.
- Pacheco-Barrios K, Pinto CB, Saleh Velez FG, et al. Structural and functional motor cortex asymmetry in unilateral lower limb amputation with phantom limb pain. Clinical Neurophysiology. 2024.
- Saleh Velez FG, Pinto CB, Bailin ES, et al.Real-time video projection in an MRI for characterization of neural correlates associated with mirror therapy for phantom limb pain. Journal of Visualized Experiments. 2019.
Cerebrovascular Disease, Stroke, & Clinical Outcomes
Epidemiological, clinical, and translational studies on cerebrovascular disorders, stroke outcomes, and implementation science.
Key Publications
- Yaghi S, Shu L, Mandel D, et al. Antithrombotic treatment for stroke prevention in cervical artery dissection: the STOP-CAD study. Stroke. 2024.
- Loggini A, Saleh Velez FG, Towner JE, et al. Two decades of trends in nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage care: a nationwide analysis. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2025.
- Saleh Velez FG, Alvarado-Dyer R, Pinto CB, et al. Safer stroke-Dx instrument: identifying stroke misdiagnosis in the emergency department. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 2021.
Clinical Trials, Methodology & Global Health
Studies on clinical trial design, recruitment strategies, and global applications of neuromodulation and rehabilitation interventions.
Key Publications
- Ferreira IS, Pinto CB, Saleh Velez FG, et al. Recruitment challenges in stroke neurorecovery clinical trials. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications. 2019.
- Tunkl C, Agarwal A, Ramage E, Saleh Velez FG, et al. Telemedicine networks for acute stroke: global coverage, gaps, and opportunities. International Journal of Stroke. 2025.
- Matuja SS, Tunkl C, Roushdy T, Saleh Velez FG, et al. Implementing acute stroke services in Sub-Saharan Africa: perspectives from the Tanzania Stroke Project. Cerebrovascular Diseases Extra. 2025.
Other Neurological Disorders / Pain
Research addressing phantom limb pain, complex pain syndromes, and neurological disorders beyond stroke, using neuromodulation and advanced neuroimaging to understand symptom mechanisms and treatment response.
Key Publications
- Gunduz ME, Pacheco-Barrios K, Bonin Pinto C, et al. Effects of combined and alone transcranial motor cortex stimulation and mirror therapy in phantom limb pain: a randomized factorial trial. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. 2021.
- Duarte D, Bauer CCC, Pinto CB, Saleh Velez FG, et al. Cortical plasticity in phantom limb pain: an fMRI study of neural correlates. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging. 2020.
- Saleh Velez FG, Duran J, Fonoff ET, Contreras WO. Treatment of complex regional pain syndrome type II with simultaneous multi-target spinal cord and motor cortex stimulation: a case report. 2016.