Grant: CIHR Fellowship

The large majority of stroke survivors cope with chronic disability often affecting the upper limbs. Improved use of the stroke-affected limb is accompanied by neuroplasticity in intact tissues surrounding the stroke and modulating this plasticity should promote further gains in recovery. One unknown issue in stroke involves the role of the thalamus, the brain's relay center for sensory information en route to the cortex, in recovery of function and neuroplasticity. Thus, the first goal of my work is to elucidate the role of thalamocortical projections in recovery of function after stroke. The second goal is to test the validity of a novel light-based therapy on neuroplasticity and behavioural recovery. I hypothesize that rewiring of these connections from the thalamus to intact regions of the brain near the stroke is crucial for stroke recovery and light-based stimulation of these connections will further improve recovery by promoting beneficial neuroplasticity. Light-based therapies are already being used in clinical trials with Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease patients. My work will test the efficacy of light-based therapy in the stroke-affected brain. If successful, this could be a novel treatment for improving recovery in stroke survivors.