Influence Of Cortical Stroke And Experimental Brain Stimulation On Excitability Of Human Corticobulbar Motor Projections And Swallowing Function
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$130,183.00
Summary
Swallowing disorders often result from damage to the brain. They have profound consequences on patient health and quality of life and result in significant medical and socioeconomic costs. This project firstly investigates how motor networks in the brain control the muscles involved in swallowing and how this control is affected by stroke. Secondly, it evaluates the potential of novel interventions to improve impaired swallowing function following stroke by reorganising motor networks.
Centre For Research Excellence In Stroke Rehabilitation And Brain Recovery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,595,746.00
Summary
The Centre of Research Excellence in Stroke Rehabilitation and Brain Recovery will transform the stroke research and practice landscape in Australia, and accelerate the development of new interventions strongly supported by neuroscience. This unique collaboration will improve patient selection and rehabilitation research methods, create a training culture for the next generation of rehabilitation researchers and effectively implement proven cost effective interventions for Australians.
Control Of Prosthetic Limbs From Decoded Brain Signals
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$895,832.00
Summary
This research will restore mobility to patients who suffer from paralysis. We aim to create a device, known as a brain-machine interface, which is an artificial communication path from the brain that bypasses an injury, such as a damaged spinal cord or stroke. The interface will decode a user’s intent and act upon it. Decoders will use physiological principals and state-of-the-art machine learning methods. We will test a user’s ability to control an artificial limb using decoded brain activity.
An Australasian, Multi-centre, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial Of The Efficacy Of Fluoxetine In Improving Functional Recovery After Acute Stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,306,367.00
Summary
Stroke is one of the top three causes of disability. Treatments that improve recovery after stroke are lacking. We reviewed the world literature and found a number of very small studies which, together, suggest that the antidepressant drug, fluoxetine, may improve the recovery in stroke patients. AFFINITY is a large trial in 1600 Australians and New Zealanders with stroke which aims to find out whether taking fluoxetine for 6 months after a stroke improves recovery compared to a placebo.
Cerebral Palsy is most common childhood physical disability. While the brain injury is static, disability can be progressive and lifelong. This fellowship aims to develop and test novel interventions to optimise neuroplasticity by improving early detection and physical, cognitive, psychological and health outcomes in children with CP. Earlier accurate detection of CP will ensure effective treatments utilise critical periods of brain development and are translated into evidence based guidelines.
Stroke outcomes directly relate to brain tissue rescue. We have contributed to changes in clinical practice through many clinical trials of new protocols and therapeutic strategies. Our program will focus on brain salvage in the pre-hospital setting and the acute hospital environment. We will use novel approaches to enhance brain recovery and design new implementation strategies to maximise the benefits of these therapeutic advances.
Characterising Motor Network Connectivity To Improve Application Of Non-invasive Brain Stimulation In Stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$318,768.00
Summary
Stroke is a major health issue and leading cause of disability. Improvements to rehabilitation would be beneficial for both patients and hospital services. Brain stimulation has shown capacity to improve function after stroke. At the moment the effects are highly variable an unable to assist rehabilitation. Strength and pattern of remaining brain connections may explain variable responses to brain stimulation. Tailoring stimulation based on brain function will improve rehabilitation outcomes.
Investigation Of The Clinical Utility Of The Nintendo Wii_ Gaming System For Assessment And Rehabilitation Of Balance Post-stroke
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$75,660.00
Summary
The assessment and treatment of balance problems following stroke is a primary focus for physiotherapists working in this field. The Nintendo Wii_, a commercially available active gaming system, is a potentially useful tool for stroke rehabilitation. This research will investigate the effectiveness of this system to improve balance following stroke as well as examine the clinical utility of the Wii Balance Board_, with custom-designed software, for assessment of balance in stroke patients.
Experience drives changes in the connections between neurons in the brain. This neuroplasticity is a fundamental property of the nervous system, critical for learning and memory, but also important for recovery from injury and development of some nervous system disorders. This study will improve understanding of how, with practice, the human brain adapts to functional demands in the development of motor skill. Musicians are used as exemplars of fine motor skill who show long-term experience-driv ....Experience drives changes in the connections between neurons in the brain. This neuroplasticity is a fundamental property of the nervous system, critical for learning and memory, but also important for recovery from injury and development of some nervous system disorders. This study will improve understanding of how, with practice, the human brain adapts to functional demands in the development of motor skill. Musicians are used as exemplars of fine motor skill who show long-term experience-driven plasticity in the brain. This study will provide specific and detailed quantitative information about how motor cortex circuits important for control of the hand are altered in musicians. The study will also improve understanding of basic mechanisms involved in short-term neuroplasticity associated with motor learning in musicians and non-musicians, and hemispheric or training-related differences in these properties which may contribute to different abilities to use the hand for fine motor tasks.Read moreRead less
The corticospinal pathway is the major route from the brain to the spinal cord for the control of voluntary movement in people. Little is known about how transmission through this pathway might alter with activity. It is known that, elsewhere in the brain, connections between nerve cells can be made stronger or weaker by specific patterns of activity and it is thought that such changes underlie learning and memory. We propose that similar changes might happen in the spinal cord at the connection ....The corticospinal pathway is the major route from the brain to the spinal cord for the control of voluntary movement in people. Little is known about how transmission through this pathway might alter with activity. It is known that, elsewhere in the brain, connections between nerve cells can be made stronger or weaker by specific patterns of activity and it is thought that such changes underlie learning and memory. We propose that similar changes might happen in the spinal cord at the connection between the nerve cells which carry signals from the brain and the nerve cells which carry the signals out to the muscle. This project will demonstrate that the connections in the pathway from the brain to the muscle can be strengthened or weakened in a controlled way by imposed patterns of activity. In addition, we know that after voluntary contractions, there are dramatic changes in the way signals in this pathway are transmitted to muscles. After brief strong voluntary contractions, muscle responses are immediately reduced. After longer contractions in which the muscles become fatigued, the reduction is followed by an increase in responses which can last many minutes. Thus, this project will also study changes in the pathway from the brain to the muscle after natural activity. The effects of changes induced by artificial or natural activity on the control of voluntary movement will also be investigated. Understanding how activity drives changes in the pathway that controls voluntary movement is important for all situations that involve learning motor tasks. These include normal development and learning of motor skills, as well as rehabilitation after all kinds of nerve or muscle injury. It is also important in understanding motor changes that occur when activity is altered by disorders like spinal cord injury or stroke. Improved understanding of the processes occuring should allow improvement in rehabilitation therapies.Read moreRead less