Grant: Doctoral Research Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Stroke survivors often struggle to regain movement, but how every person recovers varies. While brain stimulation techniques like Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) show promise in helping recovery, it does not work the same for everyone. Specifically, a patterned form of stimulation known as continuous Theta Burst Stimulation (cTBS), can alter brain activity and potentially improve recovery. However, responses to this treatment varies between individuals. To explore why, I will study how different brain circuits communicate to muscles, and determine whether the responses from these networks align with the response to cTBS. By analyzing these responses, I aim to understand specific brain networks' role in recovery and what they can tell us about how a stroke survivor will respond. This is important because stimulation is starting to be incorporated into rehabilitation after stroke. In this study, stroke patients will undergo 10 sessions of cTBS. I will compare brain activity of the networks before and after stimulation. I will also assess their arm and hand function before and after the stimulation to see if improvements are linked to the changes in the brain. Additionally, I will explore whether delivering this stimulation earlier in the recovery process leads to better outcomes. Ultimately, my goal is to figure out which stroke survivors will benefit most from cTBS and when it should be used to maximize recovery. This personalized approach to stroke rehabilitation could lead to more effective treatments, helping stroke survivors recover better, and reducing the overall burden on healthcare systems.