Subjects required for clinical studies
In order to achieve our goals, we rely heavily on the assistance of members of the public who are willing to join our clinical trials. The research projects listed below are currently recuiting volunteers:
How does the brain respond to spinal cord injury?
There is an increasing understanding that the human brain is 'plastic' and, within limits, can change its organisation in response to injury.
But little is known of what happens in the brain after a spinal cord injury, where the brain may not be injured at all but messages from the brain to the limbs are disrupted. Does reorganisation in the brain happen, and is it helpful or a hindrance?
In this project we are recruiting people who have been left with paralysis of the legs after a spinal cord injury, but who have normal arm and hand function. What we will be studying is the organisation of the part of the brain controlling the hand.
At first this may seem odd, but the question is whether the hand area in the brain spreads into (invades) the leg area. The reason this might happen is that the part of the brain controlling the legs can no longer do so, and reorganisation may 'reconnect' it with parts of the body that the brain can still move. This may not be helpful for a return of control to the legs, and we need to know if it is happening.
We use a method that stimulates the brain with a short magnetic pulse from a device resting on the scalp. This is painless and safe and has been in use for over 20 years. The magnetic pulse causes a signal to be sent from the brain to the hand. By stimulating different sites over the scalp we can map out the hand area in the brain.
You should allow 1.5-2 hours for the study, which will be carried out on the Queen Elizabeth II site. The project is funded by the WA Neurotrauma Research Program, and has clearance from the Sir Charles Gairdner Human Research Ethics Committee.
If you think you might be interested to participate and would like to know more, please contact:
Professor Gary Thickbroom
Brain Research Group
Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders
University of Western Australia
Tel: 9346 4479
Mail: M518, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, 6009