Kenneth Weber

DC, PhD

Senior Research Scientist, Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine

Email: kenweber@stanford.edu

X: @DrKenWeber

ResearchGate: Kenneth Weber

KenWeber.jpg
 

Research interests and skills

My research seeks to develop markers of pain and physical function using machine-learning and advanced brain, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal magnetic resonance imaging. I aim to use these techniques to better understand the neuropathology of pain and neurological conditions and discover more effective treatments and preventative strategies.

 

Ongoing research

  • Deep-Learning Models for Automated Segmentation of Muscles (CARL project with Kenneth Weber and Hazel Jenkins)

 

Research publications

1. Smith AC, Draganich C, Thornton WA, Berliner JC, Lennarson PJ, Rejc E, et al. A Single Dermatome Clinical Prediction Rule for Independent Walking 1 Year After Spinal Cord Injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2024 Jan;105(1):10–9.

2. Elliott JM, Dayanidhi S, Hazle C, Hoggarth MA, McPherson J, Sparks CL, et al. Advancements in Imaging Technology: Do They (or Will They) Equate to Advancements in Our Knowledge of Recovery in Whiplash? J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2016 Oct;46(10):862–73.

3. Martucci KT, Weber KA 2nd, Mackey SC. Altered Cervical Spinal Cord Resting-State Activity in Fibromyalgia. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2019 Mar;71(3):441–50.

4. Smith AC, Weber KA, Parrish TB, Hornby TG, Tysseling VM, McPherson JG, et al. Ambulatory function in motor incomplete spinal cord injury: a magnetic resonance imaging study of spinal cord edema and lower extremity muscle morphometry. Spinal Cord. 2017 Jul;55(7):672–8.

5. Crawford RJ, Fortin M, Weber KA 2nd, Smith A, Elliott JM. Are Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologies Crucial to Our Understanding of Spinal Conditions? J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2019 May;49(5):320–9.

6. Weber KA 2nd, Chen Y, Paliwal M, Law CS, Hopkins BS, Mackey S, et al. Assessing the spatial distribution of cervical spinal cord activity during tactile stimulation of the upper extremity in humans with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Neuroimage. 2020 Aug 15;217:116905.

7. Shover CL, Vest NA, Chen D, Stueber A, Falasinnu TO, Hah JM, et al. Association of State Policies Allowing Medical Cannabis for Opioid Use Disorder With Dispensary Marketing for This Indication. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Jul 1;3(7):e2010001.

8. Smith AC, Albin SR, O’Dell DR, Berliner JC, Dungan D, Sevigny M, et al. Axial MRI biomarkers of spinal cord damage to predict future walking and motor function: a retrospective study. Spinal Cord. 2021 Jun;59(6):693–9.

9. Elliott JM, Walton DM, Albin SR, Courtney DM, Siegmund GP, Carroll LJ, et al. Biopsychosocial sequelae and recovery trajectories from whiplash injury following a motor vehicle collision. Spine J. 2023 Jul;23(7):1028–36.

10. Muhammad F, Weber KA, Bedard S, Haynes G, Smith L, Khan AF, et al. Cervical spinal cord morphometrics in degenerative cervical myelopathy: quantification using semi-automated normalized technique and correlation with neurological dysfunctions. Spine J. 2024 Jul 20;S1529-9430(24)00886-6.

11. Weber Ii KA, He X. Chiropractic students and research: assessing the research culture at a north american chiropractic college. J Chiropr Educ. 2010 Spring;24(1):35–45.

12. Gilam G, Cramer EM, Webber KA 2nd, Ziadni MS, Kao MC, Mackey SC. Classifying chronic pain using multidimensional pain-agnostic symptom assessments and clustering analysis. Sci Adv. 2021 Sep 10;7(37):eabj0320.

13. Weber KA 2nd, Teplin ZM, Wager TD, Law CSW, Prabhakar NK, Ashar YK, et al. Confounds in neuroimaging: A clear case of sex as a confound in brain- based prediction. Front Neurol. 2022;13:960760.

14. Wesselink EO, Elliott JM, Coppieters MW, Hancock MJ, Cronin B, Pool-Goudzwaard A, et al. Convolutional neural networks for the automatic segmentation of lumbar paraspinal muscles in people with low back pain. Sci Rep. 2022 Aug 5;12(1):13485.

15. Cote P, Hartvigsen J, Axen I, Leboeuf-Yde C, Corso M, Shearer H, et al. Correction to: The global summit on the efficacy and effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy for the prevention and treatment of non- musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review of the literature. Chiropr Man Therap. 2021 Mar 8;29(1):11.

16. Weber KA 2nd, Chen Y, Wang X, Kahnt T, Parrish TB. Corrigendum to “Lateralization of cervical spinal cord activity during an isometric upper extremity motor task with functional magnetic resonance imaging” [NeuroImage 125 (2016) 233-43]. Neuroimage. 2017 Jan 1;144(Pt A):253.

17. Weber KA, Smith AC, Wasielewski M, Eghtesad K, Upadhyayula PA, Wintermark M, et al. Deep Learning Convolutional Neural Networks for the Automatic Quantification of Muscle Fat Infiltration Following Whiplash Injury. Sci Rep. 2019 May 28;9(1):7973.

18. de Zoete RMJ, Stanwell P, Weber KA, Snodgrass SJ. Differences in Structural Brain Characteristics Between Individuals with Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain and Asymptomatic Controls: A Case-Control Study. J Pain Res. 2022;15:521–31.

19. Islam H, Law CSW, Weber KA, Mackey SC, Glover GH. Dynamic per slice shimming for simultaneous brain and spinal cord fMRI. Magn Reson Med. 2019 Feb;81(2):825–38.

20. Reed WR, Weber KA 2nd, Martins DF. Editorial: Mechanisms and models of musculoskeletal pain and nonpharmacological treatment. Front Integr Neurosci. 2022;16:998413.

21. Hoggarth MA, Wang MC, Hemmerling KJ, Vigotsky AD, Smith ZA, Parrish TB, et al. Effects of variability in manually contoured spinal cord masks on fMRI co-registration and interpretation. Front Neurol. 2022;13:907581.

22. Cummins DP, Connor JR, Heller KA, Hubert JS, Kates MJ, Wisniewski KR, et al. Establishing the inter-rater reliability of spinal cord damage manual measurement using magnetic resonance imaging. Spinal Cord Ser Cases. 2019;5:20.

23. Khan AF, Mohammadi E, Haynes G, Hameed S, Rohan M, Anderson DB, et al. Evaluating tissue injury in cervical spondylotic myelopathy with spinal cord MRI: a systematic review. Eur Spine J. 2024 Jan;33(1):133–54.

24. Weber Ii KA, Wager TD, Mackey S, Elliott JM, Liu WC, Sparks CL. Evidence for decreased Neurologic Pain Signature activation following thoracic spinal manipulation in healthy volunteers and participants with neck pain. Neuroimage Clin. 2019;24:102042.

25. Paliwal M, Weber KA 2nd, Smith AC, Elliott JM, Muhammad F, Dahdaleh NS, et al. Fatty infiltration in cervical flexors and extensors in patients with degenerative cervical myelopathy using a multi-muscle segmentation model. PLoS One. 2021;16(6):e0253863.

26. Franettovich Smith MM, Collins NJ, Mellor R, Grimaldi A, Elliott J, Hoggarth M, et al. Foot exercise plus education versus wait and see for the treatment of plantar heel pain (FEET trial): a protocol for a feasibility study. J Foot Ankle Res. 2020 May 8;13(1):20.

27. Weber KA 2nd, Chen Y, Wang X, Kahnt T, Parrish TB. Functional magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spinal cord during thermal stimulation across consecutive runs. Neuroimage. 2016 Dec;143:267–79.

28. Cohen-Adad J, Alonso-Ortiz E, Abramovic M, Arneitz C, Atcheson N, Barlow L, et al. Generic acquisition protocol for quantitative MRI of the spinal cord. Nat Protoc. 2021 Oct;16(10):4611–32.

29. Snodgrass SJ, Stanwell P, Weber KA, Shepherd S, Kennedy O, Thompson HJ, et al. Greater muscle volume and muscle fat infiltrate in the deep cervical spine extensor muscles (multifidus with semispinalis cervicis) in individuals with chronic idiopathic neck pain compared to age and sex- matched asymptomatic controls: a cross-sectional study. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2022 Nov 10;23(1):973.

30. Suleiman LI, Weber KA 2nd, Rosenthal BD, Bhatt SA, Savage JW, Hsu WK, et al. High-resolution magnetization transfer MRI in patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy. J Clin Neurosci. 2018 May;51:57–61.

31. Franettovich Smith MM, Mendis MD, Weber KA 2nd, Elliott JM, Ho R, Wilkes MJ, et al. Improving the measurement of intrinsic foot muscle morphology and composition from high-field (7T) magnetic resonance imaging. J Biomech. 2022 Jul;140:111164.

32. Wesselink EO, Pool JJM, Mollema J, Weber KA 2nd, Elliott JM, Coppieters MW, et al. Is fatty infiltration in paraspinal muscles reversible with exercise in people with low back pain? A systematic review. Eur Spine J. 2023 Mar;32(3):787–96.

33. Muhammad F, Baha A, Haynes G, Shakir H, Omini M, Martin M, et al. Isolating Neurologic Deficits in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: A Case- Controlled Study, Using the NIH Toolbox Motor Battery. Neurol Clin Pract. 2023 Apr;13(2):e200126.

34. Smith AC, O’Dell DR, Albin SR, Berliner JC, Dungan D, Robinson E, et al. Lateral Corticospinal Tract and Dorsal Column Damage: Predictive Relationships With Motor and Sensory Scores at Discharge From Acute Rehabilitation After Spinal Cord Injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2022 Jan;103(1):62–8.

35. Smith AC, Weber KA 2nd, O’Dell DR, Parrish TB, Wasielewski M, Elliott JM. Lateral Corticospinal Tract Damage Correlates With Motor Output in Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2018 Apr;99(4):660–6.

36. Weber KA 2nd, Chen Y, Wang X, Kahnt T, Parrish TB. Lateralization of cervical spinal cord activity during an isometric upper extremity motor task with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Neuroimage. 2016 Jan 15;125:233–43.

37. Thornton WA, Smulligan K, Weber KA 2nd, Tefertiller C, Manago M, Sevigny M, et al. Lesion characteristics are associated with bowel, bladder, and overall independence following cervical spinal cord injury. J Spinal Cord Med. 2024 Jul 3;1–9.

38. Hopkins BS, Weber KA 2nd, Kesavabhotla K, Paliwal M, Cantrell DR, Smith ZA. Machine Learning for the Prediction of Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: A Post Hoc Pilot Study of 28 Participants. World Neurosurg. 2019 Jul;127:e436–42.

39. Hoggarth MA, Elliott JM, Smith ZA, Paliwal M, Kwasny MJ, Wasielewski M, et al. Macromolecular changes in spinal cord white matter characterize whiplash outcome at 1-year post motor vehicle collision. Sci Rep. 2020 Dec 17;10(1):22221.

40. Smith ZA, Weber KA 2nd, Paliwal M, Hopkins BS, Barry AJ, Cantrell D, et al. Magnetic Resonance Imaging Atlas-Based Volumetric Mapping of the Cervical Cord Gray Matter in Cervical Canal Stenosis. World Neurosurg. 2020 Feb;134:e497–504.

41. Paliwal M, Weber KA 2nd, Hopkins BS, Cantrell DR, Hoggarth MA, Elliott JM, et al. Magnetization Transfer Ratio and Morphometrics of the Spinal Cord Associates with Surgical Recovery in Patients with Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy. World Neurosurg. 2020 Dec;144:e939–47.

42. Elliott JM, Owen M, Bishop MD, Sparks C, Tsao H, Walton DM, et al. Measuring Pain for Patients Seeking Physical Therapy: Can Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Help? Phys Ther. 2017 Jan 1;97(1):145–55.

43. O’Dell DR, Weber KA, Berliner JC, Elliott JM, Connor JR, Cummins DP, et al. Midsagittal tissue bridges are associated with walking ability in incomplete spinal cord injury: A magnetic resonance imaging case series. J Spinal Cord Med. 2020 Mar;43(2):268–71.

44. Axen I, Bergstrom C, Bronson M, Cote P, Nim CG, Goncalves G, et al. Misinformation, chiropractic, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Chiropr Man Therap. 2020 Nov 18;28(1):65.

45. Weber KA 2nd, Abbott R, Bojilov V, Smith AC, Wasielewski M, Hastie TJ, et al. Multi-muscle deep learning segmentation to automate the quantification of muscle fat infiltration in cervical spine conditions. Sci Rep. 2021 Aug 16;11(1):16567.

46. Elliott JM, Smith AC, Hoggarth MA, Albin SR, Weber KA 2nd, Haager M, et al. Muscle fat infiltration following whiplash: A computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging comparison. PLoS One. 2020;15(6):e0234061.

47. Franettovich Smith MM, Elliott JM, Al-Najjar A, Weber KA 2nd, Hoggarth MA, Vicenzino B, et al. New insights into intrinsic foot muscle morphology and composition using ultra-high-field (7-Tesla) magnetic resonance imaging. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2021 Jan 21;22(1):97.

48. Madhavan S, Weber KA 2nd, Stinear JW. Non-invasive brain stimulation enhances fine motor control of the hemiparetic ankle: implications for rehabilitation. Exp Brain Res. 2011 Mar;209(1):9–17.

49. Cohen-Adad J, Alonso-Ortiz E, Abramovic M, Arneitz C, Atcheson N, Barlow L, et al. Open-access quantitative MRI data of the spinal cord and reproducibility across participants, sites and manufacturers. Sci Data. 2021 Aug 16;8(1):219.

50. Alazzam AM, Ballance WB, Smith AC, Rejc E, Weber KA 2nd, Trainer R, et al. Peak Slope Ratio of the Recruitment Curves Compared to Muscle Evoked Potentials to Optimize Standing Configurations with Percutaneous Epidural Stimulation after Spinal Cord Injury. J Clin Med. 2024 Feb 27;13(5):1344.

51. Draganich C, Weber KA 2nd, Thornton WA, Berliner JC, Sevigny M, Charlifue S, et al. Predicting Outdoor Walking 1 Year After Spinal Cord Injury: A Retrospective, Multisite External Validation Study. J Neurol Phys Ther. 2023 Jul 1;47(3):155–61.

52. de Oliveira Galassi T, Fernandes PF, Salgado ASI, Cidral-Filho FJ, Piovezan AP, Ludtke DD, et al. Preventive Supplementation of Omega-3 Reduces Pain and Pro-inflammatory Cytokines in a Mouse Model of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I. Front Integr Neurosci. 2022;16:840249.

53. Pfyffer D, Smith AC, Weber KA 2nd, Grillhoesl A, Mach O, Draganich C, et al. Prognostic value of tissue bridges in cervical spinal cord injury: a longitudinal, multicentre, retrospective cohort study. Lancet Neurol. 2024 Aug;23(8):816–25.

54. Wesselink EO, Elliott JM, Pool-Goudzwaard A, Coppieters MW, Pevenage PP, Di Ieva A, et al. Quantifying lumbar paraspinal intramuscular fat: Accuracy and reliability of automated thresholding models. N Am Spine Soc J. 2024 Mar;17:100313.

55. Cloney MB, Smith ZA, Weber KA 2nd, Parrish TB. Quantitative Magnetization Transfer MRI Measurements of the Anterior Spinal Cord Region are Associated With Clinical Outcomes in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2018 May 15;43(10):675–80.

56. Kaptan M, Pfyffer D, Konstantopoulos CG, Law CSW, Weber Ii KA, Glover GH, et al. Recent developments and future avenues for human corticospinal neuroimaging. Front Hum Neurosci. 2024;18:1339881.

57. Smith AC, Draganich C, Thornton WA, Berliner JC, Lennarson PJ, Rejc E, et al. Response to Letter to the Editor on “A Single Dermatome Clinical Prediction Rule for Independent Walking One Year After Spinal Cord Injury”. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2024 Jul;105(7):1411–2.

58. Zhong YF, Dai YX, Li SP, Zhu KJ, Lin YP, Ran Y, et al. Sagittal balance parameters measurement on cervical spine MR images based on superpixel segmentation. Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2024;12:1337808.

59. Smith AC, Angeli CA, Ugiliweneza B, Weber KA 2nd, Bert RJ, Negahdar M, et al. Spinal cord imaging markers and recovery of standing with epidural stimulation in individuals with clinically motor complete spinal cord injury. Exp Brain Res. 2022 Jan;240(1):279–88.

60. Rejc E, Smith AC, Weber KA 2nd, Ugiliweneza B, Bert RJ, Negahdar M, et al. Spinal Cord Imaging Markers and Recovery of Volitional Leg Movement With Spinal Cord Epidural Stimulation in Individuals With Clinically Motor Complete Spinal Cord Injury. Front Syst Neurosci. 2020;14:559313.

61. Smith AC, Ahmed RU, Weber KA 2nd, Negahdar M, Gibson D, Boakye M, et al. Spinal cord lesion MRI and behavioral outcomes in a miniature pig model of spinal cord injury: exploring preclinical potential through an ad hoc comparison with human SCI. Spinal Cord Ser Cases. 2024 Jul 8;10(1):44.

62. Martucci KT, Weber KA 2nd, Mackey SC. Spinal Cord Resting State Activity in Individuals With Fibromyalgia Who Take Opioids. Front Neurol. 2021;12:694271.

63. Smith AC, O’Dell DR, Thornton WA, Dungan D, Robinson E, Thaker A, et al. Spinal Cord Tissue Bridges Validation Study: Predictive Relationships With Sensory Scores Following Cervical Spinal Cord Injury. Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil. 2022 Spring;28(2):111–5.

64. Nim CG, Weber KA, Kawchuk GN, O’Neill S. Spinal manipulation and modulation of pain sensitivity in persistent low back pain: a secondary cluster analysis of a randomized trial. Chiropr Man Therap. 2021 Feb 24;29(1):10.

65. Perraton Z, Mosler AB, Lawrenson PR, Weber Ii K, Elliott JM, Wesselink EO, et al. The association between lateral hip muscle size/intramuscular fat infiltration and hip strength in active young adults with long standing hip/groin pain. Phys Ther Sport. 2024 Jan;65:95–101.

66. Cote P, Hartvigsen J, Axen I, Leboeuf-Yde C, Corso M, Shearer H, et al. The global summit on the efficacy and effectiveness of spinal manipulative therapy for the prevention and treatment of non- musculoskeletal disorders: a systematic review of the literature. Chiropr Man Therap. 2021 Feb 17;29(1):8.

67. Berliner JC, O’Dell DR, Albin SR, Dungan D, Sevigny M, Elliott JM, et al. The influence of conventional T2 MRI indices in predicting who will walk outside one year after spinal cord injury. J Spinal Cord Med. 2023 May;46(3):501–7.

68. Falasinnu T, Hossain MB, Weber KA 2nd, Helmick CG, Karim ME, Mackey S. The Problem of Pain in the United States: A Population-Based Characterization of Biopsychosocial Correlates of High Impact Chronic Pain Using the National Health Interview Survey. J Pain. 2023 Jun;24(6):1094–103.

69. Weber KA 2nd, Sentis AI, Bernadel-Huey ON, Chen Y, Wang X, Parrish TB, et al. Thermal Stimulation Alters Cervical Spinal Cord Functional Connectivity in Humans. Neuroscience. 2018 Jan 15;369:40–50.

70. Perraton Z, Lawrenson P, Mosler AB, Elliott JM, Weber KA 2nd, Flack NA, et al. Towards defining muscular regions of interest from axial magnetic resonance imaging with anatomical cross-reference: a scoping review of lateral hip musculature. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2022 Jun 4;23(1):533.

71. Hopkins BS, Weber KA 2nd, Cloney MB, Paliwal M, Parrish TB, Smith ZA. Tract-Specific Volume Loss on 3T MRI in Patients With Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2018 Oct 15;43(20):E1204–9.

72. Dishman JD, Weber KA 2nd, Corbin RL, Burke JR. Understanding inhibitory mechanisms of lumbar spinal manipulation using H-reflex and F-wave responses: a methodological approach. J Neurosci Methods. 2012 Sep 30;210(2):169–77.

73. Bodkin SG, Smith AC, Bergman BC, Huo D, Weber KA, Zarini S, et al. Utilization of Mid-Thigh Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Predict Lean Body Mass and Knee Extensor Strength in Obese Adults. Front Rehabil Sci. 2022;3:808538.

74. Wang X, Casadio M, Weber KA 2nd, Mussa-Ivaldi FA, Parrish TB. White matter microstructure changes induced by motor skill learning utilizing a body machine interface. Neuroimage. 2014 Mar;88:32–40.