Project description
Understanding the neurology of post-stroke upper limb dexterity dysfunction
Strokes often cause impairment to upper limb dexterity, but the exact mechanisms are not well understood. The MSCA-funded DEXTSTIM project aims to artificially induce the motor cortex using multi-locus transcranial magnetic stimulation (mTMS) and map the complex excitation/inhibition patterns responsible for upper limb muscle activation. This will ratify the notion that a stroke affects this neurological circuitry and can cause impairment. Furthermore, the project will take the unprecedented step of developing procedures for mTMS neurological manipulation of the motor cortex that take physiological differences into account. The ultimate outcome should be better evaluation and recovery methods for upper limb dexterity and the improvement of post-stroke motor control.
Objective
Upper limb dexterity is a unique human ability commonly compromised by stroke. I suggest that the upper limb dexterity after stroke may be compromised as a result of dysfunctional inhibition of the nearby muscles. In patients with mild motor impairment, this results in a lack of independent finger movements. In moderately-to-severely affected patients, the pathological synergies pose a major problem, affecting both proximal and distal joint movements. I will develop methods for evaluating the neural origins of the upper limb dexterity and its recovery after stroke, and for improving compromised motor control by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) combined with electroencephalography, electromyography, and structural magnetic resonance imaging. I will perform multi-muscle cortical mapping using a novel neuromodulation technology, namely multi-locus TMS (mTMS), which allows stimulation of the nearby cortical targets with millisecond-scale delays between the pulses without moving the stimulator. This unique feature of mTMS will enable us to determine local excitation/inhibition (E/I) interactions among the cortical representations of different upper limb muscles. I will evaluate whether abnormal control of independent finger movements can be structurally and functionally explained in terms of the local E/I balance at the motor cortex. Then, I will utilize this information to develop unprecedented mTMS protocols that take into account the individual organization of the motor cortex and the possibility of its selective neuromodulation. In summary, I aim to demonstrate that (1) the intricate patterns of local E/I balance at the motor cortex are involved in the orchestration of muscle synergies, (2) the malfunctioning of this complex circuitry after stroke can lead to abnormal muscle-specific corticospinal excitability and impaired upper limb motor function, and (3) the local E/I balance can be manipulated with physiologically tuned multi-site mTMS protocols.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01
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02150 Espoo
Finland
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