Dr. Rob Brownstone deciphers spinal cord’s control of walking
Neurosurgeon Dr. Rob Brownstone is gradually deciphering the complex neural networks in the spinal cord that control the rhythmic pattern of walking. This knowledge will point the way to new strategies for restoring movement to people living with injuries or diseases that impair motor function.
“We’re learning how different types of neurons in the spinal cord enable us to move and walk, while looking for ways to restore function in people with injuries to, or diseases of, their brain or spinal cord,” says Dr. Brownstone, a professor in the Department of Surgery and Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology at Dalhousie Medical School. After discovering systems of spinal ‘interneurons,’ he and his team are learning how these circuits are controlled by the brain and how they control muscles to produce the alternating patterns of muscle activity required to walk.
At the same time, Dr. Brownstone is mobilizing a group of Atlantic Canadian researchers in disciplines including neurobiology, surgery, kinesiology, physical medicine and physiotherapy, to develop new solutions for mobility disorders caused by conditions such as spinal cord injury, ALS, stroke, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. The researchers have recently launched the Atlantic Mobility Action Project (Mobility Project) to help them develop stronger team efforts, recruit new researchers, and attract more funding.
“The Mobility Project will provide an ideal training environment for young people pursuing research careers through the Molly Neuroscience Training Program,” Dr. Brownstone says. “They will see firsthand how broad-scale collaborations enable laboratory findings to be translated into the real world.”
Dr. Brownstone is working with Dr. Vic Rafuse on just such a project. Based on their years of lab research, they have successfully engineered stem cells into motor neurons, transplanted them into nerves, and prompted them to connect to the appropriate muscle fibres. They hope to develop and translate this technology to enable patients with nerve injuries to open and close their hand.