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Exercise, brain plasticity and dopamine in Parkinson’s disease

Post by: Marc Roig
March 20, 2019
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This project investigates whether, timely combined, the administration of dopaminergic drug and exercise can improve motor function in Parkinson’s Disease…

Categories: Completed Project, Research on Neuroplasticity, Research on Neurorehabilitation

NON-INVASIVE BRAIN STIMULATION

We use transcranial magnetic stimulation to measure the excitability and modulate the activity of different regions of the brain that are involved in various aspects of cognition.

NEURONAVIGATION

We use neuronavigation to visualize the brain in vivo and improve the accuracy and repeatability of our brain stimulation and neuroimaging protocols.

NEUROIMAGING

We use electroencephalography to assess changes in the activity of different areas of the brain at rest, during sleep and during different motor and cognitive tasks. We use electroencephalography to assess changes in the activity of different areas of the brain at rest, during sleep and during different motor and cognitive tasks. We use magnetic resonance imaging to see how the structure of the brain changes after exercise, and to see if there are any new connections between areas of the brain.

CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS

We use exercise tests to assess the physiological response to exercise of our patients and participants. During these tests we measure cardiac activity, blood pressure, oxygen consumption, and biomarkers.

MOTOR BEHAVIOuR

We use different motor learning paradigms, including serial reaction time, visuomotor-tracking and ballistic tasks involving both upper and lower limb, to study the capacity to learn and retain motor skills.

BLOOD BIOMARKERS

We measure the concentration of proteins such as Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which are related to brain plasticity processes required for motor recovery.

GENOTYPING

We use genotyping to investigate how genetic variation influences recovery following brain injury and shapes individual responses to rehabilitation strategies, including cardiovascular exercise.