Leading-edge brain stimulation research gets new funding
09/16/2021
The Canada
Foundation for Innovation has named Jodi Edwards, PhD, of the University of
Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) a recipient of its John R. Evans Leaders Fund
(JELF).
Edwards and co-principal investigator Dr. James Downar, will receive upwards
of $191,000 to pursue ground-breaking transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS)
research to improve recovery and quality of life of Canadians who have
experienced a stroke or are living with advanced illnesses.
JELF helps
exceptional researchers at universities across the country conduct leading-edge
research by giving them the tools and equipment they need to become leaders in
their field. The equipment will be located onsite at Bruyère, thanks to
the collaboration between the University of Ottawa, the University of Ottawa
Heart Institute, and the Bruyère Research Institute on this funding
application.
TMS is a non-invasive
health technology that uses magnetic fields to stimulate the brain. TMS is
approved for clinical use in patients with mental health conditions, such as
depression and anxiety, however, the proposed research will create a program to
develop and test this technology in new populations of patients, such as those
recovering from stroke and individuals coping with stress during advanced
illnesses, such as cancer. This program will provide new information for
clinical guidelines to get TMS approved as a therapy for these patient
populations.
In addition, this research program will use
genetic information and information from brain imaging to identify which
individuals might respond best to this therapy, to help design personalized
treatments for patients with stroke, cancer, and other conditions.