SEMINAR: Reorganising the brain with electromagnetic stimulation.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) uses electromagnetic pulses to change brain activity, and is a promising new treatment for many neurological and psychiatric disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, tinnitus, and epilepsy.

However, what rTMS does to the brain and the mechanisms underlying its effects are still poorly understood. We examined rTMS effects on brain circuitry by applying rTMS to healthy mice and to mice born with abnormally organised brains and found that rTMS reorganised abnormal neural circuits. This research contributes greatly to understanding the cellular mechanisms of rTMS, and is important in determining how rTMS might be best applied to treat disorders and improve brain function.

Bio:

Kalina Makowiecki is currently a PhD student in the department of Experimental and Regenerative Neurosciences (EaRN), School of Animal Biology at UWA. Kalina studied psychology and neuroscience at UWA and completed her honours year in 2011, where she conducted a study on electromagnetic stimulation and behaviour, supervised by Dr. Jennifer Rodger and Prof. Geoff Hammond.

Dr Jennifer Rodger is an Associate Professor and NHMRC Senior Research Fellow at Experimental and Regenerative Neurosciences within the School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia. She completed a BScHons in Biochemistry at the University of Bath, UK, followed by a PhD in Molecular Neuroscience at the University Pierre et Marie Curie, France. Dr Rodger subsequently moved to the University of Western Australia to work with Professors Lyn Beazley and Sarah Dunlop in the field of neural regeneration. She currently leads a research team investigating issues of brain plasticity relevant to brain disorders and employs various experimental models, especially the visual system, to ascertain how morphological and functional improvement can be achieved in the injured brain. Her most recent work focuses on the use of pulsed magnetic fields to promote neural circuit reorganisation and repair. Dr Rodger has published more than 75 peer-reviewed papers including key papers in the prestigious Journal of Neuroscience and FASEB Journal. She holds current funding from the NHMRC, ARC and Neurotrauma Research Program (WA).

PS* This seminar is free and open to the public & no RSVP required.

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