Head, Brain Research Group: Director Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders

Professor Gary Thickbroom completed his undergraduate studies with a double-major in Physics and Mathematics at the University of Western Australia in 1975. He then combined his physical science background with an interest in brain systems, and in 1980 completed an MSc that combined radiological and electrophysiological studies for the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. He subsequently completed his PhD in 1988 on brain potentials associated with the initiation of voluntary movement. In 1990 he became Head of the Brain Research Group in the ANRI Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders (CNND), and is presently CNND Director.

His research background includes electrophysiological diagnostic techniques (EEG, evoked potentials, vestibular), brain imaging (CT, SPECT, MRI), and brain stimulation (TMS, tDCS). His laboratory has a strong track-record in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for studying motor and language systems in the brain, and for neurosurgical planning. His main current research interest is in brain plasticity, how it can be up-regulated, and its role as a potential therapy in neurological disorders. His team has developed original magnetic brain stimulation techniques to non-invasively and painlessly modify brain plasticity and excitability in awake humans, and has developed a novel stimulation procedure based on the exquisite temporal-precision of neuronal communication.