Waking Up Brains After Stroke

Reported September 2010

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- It strikes 800 thousand people every year and is the leading cause of long-term disability in the U.S. Ninety-five-percent of stroke survivors struggle to move their arms or hands after an attack. Now researchers are hoping to wake up hands by stimulating sleepy brain cells.

From texting, to typing, to tickling the ivories, Carolyn Dussault is finally putting some power behind those hands.

"It's nice to be able to use both hands for sure," Carolyn Dussault told Ivanhoe.

She suffered a stroke as a fetus inside her mom. It left her arm so weak she rarely used it.

"It's been something I struggled with throughout life" Dussault said.

Until she enrolled in a study to wake up her brain -

"The magnetic stimulus penetrates the skull non-invasively and sends a signal down to these muscles" Physical therapist Dr. James Carey said.

Dr.Carey is an expert in kinesiology or body movement at the University of Minnesota and he is helping stroke patients regain movement using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation r-t-m-s.

"We think we can wake up neurons that have been in slumber for the past months and even years" Dr. Carey said.

In the study, doctors treat Carolyn's non-stroke side relaxing that part of the brain. As a result, the stroke-damaged brain areas step up their activity. These scans show brain activity before and after treatment. In an earlier study in the journal, stroke patients that had RTMS showed improvement in motor function and hand movement. Those who had fake pulses didn't benefit. Dr. Carey hopes the therapy combined with traditional treatment will speed up recovery.

"Brushing your teeth, brushing your hair, daily activities. I'm so much faster, especially with typing on the computer. I do that a lot and I want to go into writing because it's what I'm most passionate about" Dussault said.

Now Carolyn's hands can keep up with her ambition.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Nick Hansen
Public Affairs
University of Minnesota
(612)624-2449
hans2853@umn.edu

Vets are fixing Fido without surgery! Considering that Americans will spend $47 billion on their pets, rehab is becoming a money-saving and life-saving therapy for thousands of dogs.

Four out of every 1000 babies born today will suffer brain damage. Now doctors are using a special blanket to help these babies reduce their chances of developing a lifetime of disabilities.

It strikes 800,000 people every year and is the leading cause of long-term disability in the US. Now, researchers are helping wake up damaged brains and help stroke survivors move again.

Every nine minutes a pedestrian or cyclist is injured or killed on the road. Now a new device will help warn drivers and keep cyclists safe.

The spill is stopped, but how much oil is left behind? We go under the sea in a sub to get a close-up look at what’s there

Hurricanes hitting the coast put lives at risk inland. New technology can warn people when tornadoes will strike hundreds of miles away from the storm.

We dig deep into one of the most active earthquake zones in the world to find out when the next ‘big one’ will strike.

New roofing technology will keep you covered and put more money in your pocket!

From computers to cell phones … researchers are working on ways to make them better and more energy efficient.

A new high-tech video game goes inside the human body, teaching kids science and having fun at the same time.

The teacher is ‘in’ and ‘on’ the computer. Kids can now improve their language and social skills with an animated tutor.

In these tricks – the math is quicker than the eye. We introduce you to a mathematician who has a few tricks up his sleeve.