Mechanisms Of Cortical Plasticity And Facilitation Of Functional Recovery Following Stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$427,500.00
Summary
Specific regions of the human brain have been shown to reorganise following damage to the brain or peripheral nerves. This reorganisation is seen in both young and older subjects and is thought to be useful in helping to restore function. For example, following a stroke a patient may, initially, be unable to move one arm. However, in the following weeks and months some function may return. A number of mechanisms may be responsible for this improvement. However, it is likely that at least some of ....Specific regions of the human brain have been shown to reorganise following damage to the brain or peripheral nerves. This reorganisation is seen in both young and older subjects and is thought to be useful in helping to restore function. For example, following a stroke a patient may, initially, be unable to move one arm. However, in the following weeks and months some function may return. A number of mechanisms may be responsible for this improvement. However, it is likely that at least some of the improvement is due to reorganisation within the sensorimotor cortex. Following the stroke the control of the arm may be taken over by adjacent undamaged regions of the brain. This reorganisation allows impressive functional recoveries to occur. We have preliminary evidence to support the idea that patterns of activity generated in peripheral nerves (afferent input) following stroke may be crucial for the development of the organisational changes seen within the brain. We have shown that by applying specific patterns of sensory input we are able to produce organisational changes within the motor cortex of control subjects. Also, we have been able to induce similar changes in stroke patients. These changes have been accompanied by improvements in motor control. These novel and exciting findings support our hypothesis that by applying certain patterns of afferent input to patients following stroke we will be able to facilitate functional recovery by maximising reoganisation within the cortex. In the present project we will establish the organisation patterns in the brain of stroke patients and contrast the findings with control subjects. Secondly we will investigate the potential for facilitating recovery of stroke patients by the application of specific patterns of afferent input. These novel experiments may lead to important therapeutic developments that will benefit the large population of patients suffering strokes.Read moreRead less
Changes In Motor Control And Kinaesthetic Sensations After Eccentric Exercise.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$287,250.00
Summary
It is a well-known observation that after a period of intense exercise we are unsteady on our feet and are clumsy when attempting to make precision movements. Such impressions are particularly marked after eccentric exercise, during which the contracting muscles are forcibly lengthened. Activities such as walking downhill, skiing and horse riding involve eccentric exercise. The debilitating consequences of this kind of exercise are attributed, not just to the post-exercise effects of fatigue, bu ....It is a well-known observation that after a period of intense exercise we are unsteady on our feet and are clumsy when attempting to make precision movements. Such impressions are particularly marked after eccentric exercise, during which the contracting muscles are forcibly lengthened. Activities such as walking downhill, skiing and horse riding involve eccentric exercise. The debilitating consequences of this kind of exercise are attributed, not just to the post-exercise effects of fatigue, but to loss of muscle force from damage to fibres. Eccentric exercise also leads to longer term effects. The breakdown of the damaged tissue leads to sensations of stiffness and soreness the next day. This application proposes experiments aimed at studying a number of effects of eccentric exercise on motor control, and establishing the muscle, spinal and brain levels at which they occur. Three studies are planned. In the first, the question will be explored whether we are less able to use the motor areas of our brains to execute voluntary contractions after exercise. So fatigue is not just a matter of exhausted muscles but perhaps also exhausted brains. We will use brain and spinal cord stimulation to explore this point. Then we plan to listen to single motor units, the basic elements of muscle control, to try to understand the mechanism by which the brain minimises the debilitating effects of fatigue. Finally we want to examine subjects' ability to locate their limbs in space as a means of providing a basis for the clumsiness we experience after intense exercise. These are all important issues relevant to clinical medicine and rehabilitation as well as sports science and exercise.Read moreRead less
I will use non-invasive brain stimulation to study the operation of the corticospinal pathway in humans while they perform tasks requiring precise control of fingers and thumb. This pathway from brain to spinal cord is important for independent finger movements, and these experiments will provide insight into the cortical mechanisms by which independent finger movements are produced. I will also investigate relationships between patterns of corticospinal activation (which I have shown differ bet ....I will use non-invasive brain stimulation to study the operation of the corticospinal pathway in humans while they perform tasks requiring precise control of fingers and thumb. This pathway from brain to spinal cord is important for independent finger movements, and these experiments will provide insight into the cortical mechanisms by which independent finger movements are produced. I will also investigate relationships between patterns of corticospinal activation (which I have shown differ between subjects and hands) and digital dexterity. While it seems reasonable to assume that digital dexterity is dependent on the operation of the corticospinal system, the relationship is obscure, even at a gross level. Digital dexterity can vary considerably between subjects, and even between hands in the same subject. Are people more skilled with their hands because they are better able to engage the corticospinal system in control of the digits? The present study will address this fundamental question. The brain stimulation techniques that I will use are the only techniques presently available which can answer these questions in humans. This information will assist us to understand how normal subjects perform skilled tasks with their hands, as well as helping us to understand how damage to the nervous system (e.g., stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease) produces deficits in movement control. The information gained may suggest training regimes for skill acquisition in normal subjects, and to promote recovery of function in patients with neurological damage or disease.Read moreRead less
Neural Mechanisms Associated With Recovery Of Function Following Motor Cortical Lesions
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$196,415.00
Summary
Damage to movement control areas in the brain early in life (e.g. cerebral palsy) or in adulthood (e.g. stroke, tumours) results in motor weakness and loss of skill; over a period of many months there is gradual recovery of function. The neural mechanisms that are associated with functional reorganization of the brain and motor recovery are not well understood. This project plans to use animal experiments to identify the location of regions in the brain that undergo neural reorganization and com ....Damage to movement control areas in the brain early in life (e.g. cerebral palsy) or in adulthood (e.g. stroke, tumours) results in motor weakness and loss of skill; over a period of many months there is gradual recovery of function. The neural mechanisms that are associated with functional reorganization of the brain and motor recovery are not well understood. This project plans to use animal experiments to identify the location of regions in the brain that undergo neural reorganization and compensate for lost function. Following brain lesions detailed mapping of the motor areas of the brain and a careful study of movement disabilities will be performed. The study will attempt to identify changes in motor maps that indicate neural reorganization and relate these changes to motor recovery. The results of this study will be used in future projects to test training programs, drugs and neural prosthesis on neural reorganization and recovery of function. Eventually the information may be used to direct pharmacological and physiotherapeutic interventions, and motor rehabilitation programs for optimal recovery of function.Read moreRead less
I am a neuroscientist, who studies the neural mechanisms responsible for the control of human voluntary movements. My research is aimed at characterising the physiological mechanisms which are responsible for plasticity of the human motor cortical regions
Harnessing Human Motor Cortical Plasticity For Performance And Rehabilitation
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$341,304.00
Summary
Motor learning allows us to interact with our environment and loss of this ability is catastrophic. The reorganisational capacity of the brain can be used to enhance recovery from brain injury. However, our ability to do so is limited by lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms. These studies will use novel approaches to investigate how the human brain reorganises during motor skill learning. The outcomes will be important for the development of novel therapeutic approaches.
Motor Neurone Disease - Pathophysiological Insights Into The Site Of Origin And Patterns Of Neurodegeneration.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$309,361.00
Summary
Motor neurone disease (MND) kills one Australian per day and is characterised by progressive loss of the corticospinal tract, that controls all voluntary movements. The present project will investigate where MND begins and document how the loss of nerves within the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves evolves. In addition to providing information about prognosis, new quantifiable measures will be developed to objectively monitor patients in future treatment and prevention trials.
Neurochemical And Metabolomic Studies Of The Cortical GABAergic System
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$282,559.00
Summary
This work will use targeted neuropharmacology, systems analysis and multivariate statistics to provide a unique perspective on detailed aspects of the organization and function of the GABAergic system in the brain, as well as the mode of action of the drug of abuse GHB. This will have broad benefits for a wide range of disorders, including sleep disorders, pain and epilepsy as well as providing clearer targets for drug development.
Investigating The Involvement Of Human Derived Astrocytes And Motor Neurons In The Pathology Of Motor Neuron Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$287,321.00
Summary
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease, which results in the death of nerves that innervate muscle, known as motor neurons. Recent studies using mouse ALS models showed that certain cells that normally support motor neurons may be directly contributing to their death in ALS. We propose to derive ALS-diseased human cells and investigate how these cells may react in ‘normal’ tissue. These studies are clinically relevant in understanding ALS pathological processes.