Institute of Neurology takes top prize at symposium

17 August 2010

Dr Damon Hoad, from the BRT-funded Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, took the top honour with his poster on 'Shaping the brain – Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to study and modulate neuroplasticity', in a poster presentation competition at the Shape of Science Symposium in Manchester.

Dr Hoad said: "Neuroplasticity describes the processes by which the brain may change to improve its performance. Elite athletes have mastered neuroplastic change through training to perfect a movement or skill. We use simple brain stimulation and imaging techniques to observe these changes in the brain. The lessons learned from studying elite athletes then help us to develop stimulation protocols for treating patients with brain injuries."

Second prize went to PhD student Dorina Cadar, from UCL Epidemiology and Public Health, for her poster entitled 'Is the freedom from cognitive impairment really at hand? An investigation between alcohol consumption and cognitive decline'.

Source: ION