Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Approximately 2% of Canadians suffer from motor disorders caused by lesions in areas of the brain which control movement. These lesions may be the result of a variety of pathologies, including congenital diseases, strokes and degenerative disorders. Besides their individual effects, the treatment of motor disorders places a large financial burden on the Canadian economy. For instance, care for stroke patients costs approximately $2.7 billion per year. Unfortunately, our clinical abilities in treating motor disorders are fairly limited. This originates mainly from our limited understanding of the underlying neural circuitry governing human motor control. In order to enhance our ability to treat motor disorders, we must first enhance our knowledge of the physiology of motor control. Among these diseases, cerebellar dysfunctions are of the most debilitating ones. Most of the tasks we perform each day like driving a car, playing violin or even walking, demand coordination across different limbs and different joints within a limb. Such coordination is lost in patients with cerebellar dysfunction, leaving them with clumsy and severely impaired movement. Although the role of cerebellum in motor coordination is verified by various studies, the underlying mechanism by which cerebellum contributes to motor coordination is still unclear. To study cerebellar function, we will use animal models (non human primates) to induce reversible inactivation of cerebellum. We will then record the activity of motor related areas of the cortex while the animal is performing various motor activities. The results of the proposed research will provide critical information about the underlying neural circuitry through which cerebellum exerts its role in motor coordination and provides us a framework to further understand the pathophysiology of cerebellar dysfunctions.