Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

I am requesting funding for a BrainSight-controlled robot (Rogue Research, Montreal, QC) to deliver transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This device will enable me to expand my funded Discovery grant research to include mapping complex interneuron circuits associated with motor learning. The requested robot complements my BrainSight stereotaxic system and Elevate TMS unit, and can be programmed to deliver non-invasive brain stimulation precisely over distinct brain regions. Currently TMS studies in humans are limited by the need for a human operator to hold and position the stimulation coil. This negatively affects TMS for several reasons. First the stimulation coil needs to be continually adjusted to the research participants' head movements attributed to normal physiological rhythms (e.g., breathing). Traditionally, this issue is countered using a stereotaxic system (e.g., BrainSight) that displays coil position and the stimulation vector in real-time. However, this approach relies on human TMS operators and induces a time delay as even the most skilled individual takes time to adjust coil position. This issue lessens the accuracy of TMS delivery and negatively affect the quality of data. Second, using a human operator to position the TMS coil fundamentally limits the types of experiments that can be performed. Human neuroimaging research shows that a broad network of brain regions supports the acquisition of new motor skills. These networks can be mapped by delivering TMS in different directions (posterior-to-anterior (PA) vs. anterior-to-posterior (AP)). Traditionally, TMS is delivered in the PA-direction. However, mapping the motor cortex in the AP-direction reflects influences from distant brain regions including prefrontal and premotor cortices, and the cerebellum. Yet, it is very difficult to position the coil to stimulate in the AP direction; this limits the type of mapping that can be undertaken. My Discovery grant research employs mapping in both the PA- and AP-directions in association with motor learning, but given the difficulty of coil positioning is constrained to only testing change in motor evoked potentials. The addition of a TMS robot will allow world leading research that illustrates relationships between motor learning and the excitability of not just motor cortex but also intra- and inter-cortical excitability measured in both the PA- and AP-directions. Currently there are no TMS robots at UBC or in British Columbia. Acquisition of a BrainSight-controlled TMS robot will enable novel research that reveals the role(s) of distinct interneuronal networks in motor learning. Further, the research facilitated by this equipment will attract a broad range of HQP from diverse backgrounds. In sum, the acquisition of this equipment will allow new lines of research that significantly advance understanding of the neurophysiology supporting motor learning.