Completed Brain & Nervous System Psychology & Behaviour

Activity-dependent plasticity of long-range sensorimotor connectivity.

Funder Wellcome Charity-funded
Recipient organisation University of Oxford
Funding £2.5M
Period Mar 2016 — Feb 2021

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

The brain rewires its own long-distance connections in response to what we do—and this project will find out exactly when and how that happens. This matters because after a stroke, the brain’s ability to rewire itself is critical for recovery, but we do not yet understand the basic rules that govern how human brain connections strengthen or weaken with use. The research fills a gap between cellular studies in rodents and real-world rehabilitation: we know plasticity exists, but not how to reliably trigger or boost it in patients. The project tests whether people can change their own brain connections using neurofeedback—watching their own brain activity in real time and learning to adjust it. It also examines whether simply using a limb less (for example, after injury) weakens the brain pathways controlling it, and whether sleep helps consolidate those changes. In the final phase, the team will apply these findings to stroke rehabilitation, testing whether neurofeedback can rebalance motor activity after stroke and whether improving sleep quality boosts recovery. If successful, this could lead to new, non-invasive rehabilitation strategies that harness the brain’s own plasticity—no drugs, no surgery—to help people regain movement after neurological injury.

View original technical description
This proposal will consider when and how activity-dependent plasticity of long-range brain connections occurs, and will assess its behavioural significance. The programme will include work ranging from cellular level studies of the underlying biology in rodents, and basic science studies in human volunteers, through to proof of principle trials in clinical populations. The proposal includes the following work packages: 1. Manipulating activity These projects use neurofeedback to alter hu man brain activity in order to test whether modulating activity in specific sensorimotor circuits can produce rapid and bidirectional changes in brain connections and change behaviour. 2. Manipulating behaviour. This programme will test whether reduced limb use results in altered functional and structural connectivity. 3. Underlying biology Studies in transgenic rodents will assess whether myelin change contributes to plasticity of brain connections. Secondary questions concern the role of sleep in observed changes in brain connections and behaviour. 4. Boosting plasticity of brain connections for rehabilitation In our final work package, we will apply principles established from the basic science programme described above to stroke rehabilitation. First, we will assess whether neurofeedback can be used to rebalance motor-related activity after stroke. Second, we will test whether improving sleep quality after stroke can affect rehabilitation outcomes, due to the importa nce of sleep for consolidation of motor learning.

View the original record at the funder ↗

Researchers

Heidi Johansen-Berg (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Towards physiologically-informed rehabilitation therapies
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Predicting the response to plasticity-inducing protocols of non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS)
Quantitative, multimodal neuroimaging to investigate the mechanisms of brain plasticity
Sensorimotor plasticity in the cerebellar microcircuit and its therapeutic potential

Original classification

Principal Research Fellowship (New)

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