Grant: Foundation Grant

<html> <body> <p>To advance our understanding of brain disorders, it is necessary to identify the underlying neural circuits and determine how abnormalities in these circuits produce cognitive and behavioural symptoms. The <strong>overarching focus</strong> of my research program is to develop an understanding of neural circuits underlying vestibular disorders, with an emphasis on translational approaches for restoring sensory function. The loss of vestibular function due to aging, injury, or disease produces dizziness, imbalance, and an increased risk of falls &ndash; all symptoms that profoundly impair quality of life. Thus, vestibular disorders impose a substantial burden on the economy in the form of increased medical costs, work-related absenteeism, and reduced productivity.<br> <br> The proposed research program will <strong>advance</strong> our fundamental knowledge about the neural circuits responsible for normal vestibular function and reveal how these circuits are altered by disease to ultimately develop innovative treatment options. The program has two major goals: (1) <em>To</em><em>understand how the brain processes vestibular information to ensure accurate perception and behaviour in everyday life.</em> We will study the neural coding in vestibular circuits to establish how vestibular information is normally combined with other sensory and motor signals to control behaviour. We will then establish how different types of neurons and synapses within vestibular pathways influence the computations they perform using precise and specific experimental interventions; (2) <em>To understand the neurophysiology of vestibular/balance disorders and develop new treatment approaches.</em>Specifically, we will measure neural activity in these circuits after vestibular loss, to reveal how changes in coding, such as altered multimodal integration, impact perception and behaviour. We will then use this information to drive novel rehabilitation strategies to treat patients in part through development of implantable vestibular prostheses.<br> <br> The <strong>core expertise</strong> of the assembled team is well matched to the proposed objectives. My research expertise spans the fields of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, combining behavioural, neurophysiological and computational methodologies. Furthermore, essential collaborations have been established within McGill and at other institutions including: i) computational and visual neuroscientists CHACRON and BAKER (McGill), ii) clinicians ZEITOUNI (McGill), DELLA SANTINA (Johns Hopkins University), and LEWIS (Harvard), and iii) molecular/cellular neurophysiologists Cooper (McGill) and Leubke (Rochester). Our goal is to translate directly our basic research findings into clinical applications through these collaborations as well as our partnerships with industry (e.g., Labyrinth Devices LLC and STMicroelectronics).<br> <br> The proposed research program is also designed to provide a multidisciplinary <strong>training platform</strong> for undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and research associates. Trainees will regularly present at biweekly <em>data in progress</em> meetings that include all trainees and McGill-based program experts CHACRON, BAKER, and ZEITOUNI. Trainees will also i) lead presentations/discussions in our weekly journal club, ii) benefit from regular interactions with the McGill Systems Neuroscience Group (i.e., Cook, Guitton, Pack, Farivar, Shmuel, and Musallam), iii) attend courses, seminars, workshops, and conferences offered by the rich neuroscience community across McGill at large.</p> </body> </html>