Dr. Tai’s research interests include: (a). Bladder and sphincter functions in normal and neurological disorder conditions. Special interests are focused on electrical nerve stimulation. The goal of this research project is to restore the functions of urine storage and elimination after spinal cord injury. Two problems are to be solved: 1. how to inhibit the bladder over-activity during urine storage to prevent the frequent incontinence in people with spinal cord injury; 2. how to inhibit the tonic contractions of urethra during voiding to completely eliminate urine.; (b). Modeling analysis of electrical nerve stimulation.

This project is aimed at understanding the biophysics of nerve response to extra-cellular electrical stimulation. It is focused on how to design the stimulation electrodes and stimulation waveforms to excite or block the nerves using electrical current. Modeling and computer simulations are extensively used in this project to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the axonal response to electrical stimulation; (c). Restoring locomotion function after spinal cord injury by electrical stimulation of lumbar spinal cord. This project focuses on the following basic questions: 1. where to implant the stimulating electrodes in the lumbar spinal cord; 2. what stimulation waveforms to be delivered into the lumbar spinal cord; 3. how to control the movements using computer.

---

Important Publications

Tai C, M Chen, B Shen, J Wang, JR Roppolo and WC de Groat.  Irritation induced bladder overactivity is suppressed by tibial nerve stimulation in cats.  Journal of Urology, in press, 2011.

Tai C, D Guo, J Wang, JR Roppolo and WC de Groat.  Mechanism of axonal conduction block induced by biphasic electrical current at ultra-high frequency.  Journal of Computational Neuroscience, in press, 2011.

Tai C, B Shen, J Wang, H Liu, J Subbaroyan, JR Roppolo and WC de Groat.  Inhibition of bladder overactivity by stimulation of feline pudendal nerve using transdermal amplitude modulated signal (TAMS).  BJU International, in press, 2011.

Shen B, JR Roppolo, J Subbaroyan, A DiUbaldi, S Wahlgren, WC de Groat and C Tai.  Neuromodulation of bladder activity by stimulation of feline pudendal nerve using transdermal amplitude modulated signal (TAMS).  Neurourology and Urodynamics, in press, 2011.

Tai C, B Shen, M Chen, J Wang, JR Roppolo and WC de Groat.  Prolonged post-stimulus inhibition of bladder activity induced by tibial nerve stimulation in cats.  American Journal of Physiology - Renal Physiology 300:F385-F392, 2011.

Tai C, M Chen, B Shen, J Wang, H Liu, JR Roppolo and WC de Groat.  Plasticity of urinary bladder reflexes evoked by stimulation of pudendal afferent nerves after chronic spinal cord injury in cats.  Experimental Neurology 228:109-117, 2011.

Tai C, B Shen, M Chen, J Wang, H Liu, JR Roppolo and WC de Groat.  Suppression of bladder overactivity by activation of somatic afferent nerves in the foot.  BJU International 107:303-309, 2010.

Chen M, B Shen, J Wang, H Liu, JR Roppolo, WC de Groat and C Tai.  Influence of naloxone on inhibitory pudendal-to-bladder reflex in the cats.  Experimental Neurology 224:282-291, 2010.

Tai C, J Wang, T Jin, P Wang, S-G Kim, JR Roppolo and WC de Groat.  Brain switch for reflex micturition control detected by fMRI in rats.  Journal of Neurophysiology 102:2719-2730, 2009.