[BIC-announce] FW: Killam Lecture - Tuesday, May 8, 2007 @ 4:00 pm - Speaker: Dr. Ponnada Narayana - Cortical Plasticity in Experimental Spinal Cord Injury: Combined fMRI and DTI Studies

[Jennifer Chew, Ms.]

PLEASE DISCARD IF THIS IS A DUPLICATE.  THANK YOU.  JENNIFER 
 
________________________________

From: MNISTAFF - Montreal Neurological Institute Staff
[mailto:MNISTAFF at LISTS.MCGILL.CA] On Behalf Of Felicia Callocchia, Ms.
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2007 2:31 PM
To: MNISTAFF at LISTS.MCGILL.CA
Subject: Killam Lecture - Tuesday, May 8, 2007 @ 4:00 pm - Speaker: Dr.
Ponnada Narayana


KILLAM LECTURE
 

Speaker:           Ponnada Narayana, PhD

                        The University of Texas Medical School at
Houston

                   
Title:                 Cortical Plasticity in Experimental Spinal Cord

                        Injury:  Combined fMRI and DTI Studies 
 
Place:               de Grandpre Communications Centre

Date:                Tuesday, May 8th, 2007

 

Time:                4:00 pm

________________________________

Tomorrow's Killam Seminar entitled, "Cortical Plasticity in Experimental
Spinal Cord Injury: Combined fMRI and DTI Studies" will be given by Dr.
Ponnada A. Narayana from the University of Texas Medical School at
Houston.  Dr. Narayana is a leading expert in magnetic resonance imaging
(MRI) and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in multiple sclerosis
(MS) and spinal cord injury (SCI).

Summary

      Evidence based on clinical, neurophysiological, and positron
emission tomography (PET) studies demonstrate cortical reorganization in
spinal cord injured subjects.  Such reorganization presumably occurs as
a mechanism to compensate for the functional loss in both human and
experimental spinal cord injury (SCI).  It is, therefore, suggested that
methods which enhance spontaneous cortical plasticity might be useful
for further promoting recovery after adult CNS injury.

    In the last few years, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
and diffusion-tensor imaging (DTI) have become powerful tools for
investigating human brain function.  The utility of fMRI and DTI have
been demonstrated in animals for investigating brain metabolism,
cortical representation, and cortical plasticity in neurological
disorders and their usage has steadily increased in the recent years.
In this multi-disciplinary presentation, Dr. Narayana will discuss
cutting-edge work from his group to combine fMRI and DTI studies to
visualize the on-going plasticity changes in the brain following
experimental spinal cord injury in rodent models. 

 

Barry Bedell