Stroke and Brain Injury
Episodes
Monday Aug 02, 2021
Monday Aug 02, 2021
Rodents and Recovery with Behavioral Neuroscientist Dr. Theresa A. Jones
Noggins And Neurons Facebook Group
Rodents and Recovery with Behavioral Neuroscientist Dr. Theresa A. Jones
PETE: So one of the things I find interesting about fMRI’s...it doesn’t directly measure neuroplastic change and I always thought you would have to get really lucky drilling a hole through the skull, through the meninges and somehow get a very big microscope and see actual synaptogenesis and you’d have to get very lucky that those neurons just happen to get connected at that point. But you’re saying in this model they glow green and you can see that process happening in individual neurons?
DR. JONES: I feel so lucky to have lived long enough for these techniques in neuroscience that I had nothing to do with to be dropped into my lap. Yeah these, they’re transgenic mice that seem to be normal except they have been manipulated to have fluorescent proteins expressed in a subset of their cortical neurons, so that you can see the dendritic barbers of the cortical neurons either through thin skull or through implanted windows. And so you can watch the same parts of a neuron over time and see how they change and because you have the windows are big, you look at a whole big dendritic field and at least with cortical changes in response to learning new ways of moving, those changes seem not just to be in one neuron. I mean there’s crazy activity that gets instigated and, after a stroke, there’s crazy activity...by activity I don’t mean activity...I mean structural changes in neurons. A structural neural plasticity um is just explosive in response to strokes because that’s the remodeling process.
EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode of NOGGINS & NEURONS: Brain Injury Recovery Simplified, Pete and Deb engage in stimulating conversation with Dr. Theresa A. Jones, a behavioral neuroscientist from University of Texas at Austin. We talk about:
- Translating research from bench side to bedside and what that means in terms of informing clinical practice and brain injury recovery
- The importance of communication when translating research from animals to humans and questions are key, especially in terms of parameters and boundaries. Conditions matter!
- Background details in Dr. Jones’ research such as age and health status of animals as it relates and applies to humans.
- Some advantages of studying animal models include studying topic area one at a time, generalizing information, aging animals
- The behavioral changes that follow stroke are major players in stroke outcome!
- Intensity, timing and potential for harm; the VECTORS trial and mobilizing clients following stroke.
- Repair and remodeling processes depend on neural activity patterns which are determined by behavioral experiences
- Behavioral compensation is one of the most obvious ways behavioral adaptation (change) occurs following stroke and can be a major driver in brain remodeling after stroke
- Compensation coupled with disuse impedes recovery of more normal movement
- Bimanual training in animal models to learn about influence on unimanual function
- Patterns of synaptic changes across both hemispheres that occur with learning new ways of using the good limb on its own vs. together with the affected limb
- Dr. Jones’ thoughts on:
- writing, which is a skill
- rabbit holes and tangents-they’re fun
- ways to improve communication, which might include putting the ego aside
We hope you enjoy our conversation with Dr. Jones. She is a true delight and makes information about brain research and stroke recovery understandable.
As always, we want to hear your top takeaways!
LINKS TO ARTICLES, BOOKS AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Theresa A. Jones, PhD Articles:
Dorothy A. Kozlowski, PhD and Theresa A. Jones, PhD Articles:
Use-Dependent Structural Events in Recovery of Function
Use Dependent Exaggeration of Neuronal Injury After Unilateral Sensorimotor Cortex Lesions
Use Dependent Exacerbation of Brain Damage Occurs During an Early Post-Lesion Vulnerable Period
Neural Plasticity and Neural Rehabilitation Following Traumatic Brain Injury
Learned Non-Use Article
- Dr. Jones's talk: Tribulations in Translation from the Preclinical Side of Stroke Neurorehabilitation
Questions and Comments about the podcast?
Donate to The Noggins And Neurons Podcast with your PayPal app.
Pete’s blog, book, Stronger After Stroke, and talks.
Deb's OT Resources:
- Deb's OT resources
- The OT’s Guide to Mirror Therapy
- Tri-Fold Mirror (US address only)
- Occupational Therapy Intervention: Scavenger Hunt Visual Scanning for Adults
REQUEST TO BE A GUEST ON NOGGINS & NEURONS. If you’re passionate about stroke recovery and have information or a story you believe will help others, we’d love help you share it on the show. Complete the guest request form below and let’s see if we’re a good fit! Guest Request Form
Music by scottholmesmusic.com
Comments (0)
To leave or reply to comments, please download free Podbean or
No Comments
To leave or reply to comments,
please download free Podbean App.