Interactions between motor cortical inhibitory and excitatory circuits
Dr. Natasha Radhu | University of Toronto (CAMH)
$80,000 (2 years) Porridge for Parkinson’s Basic Research Fellowship Award
Interactions between motor cortical inhibitory and excitatory circuits in Parkinson’s disease using transcranial magnetic stimulation
Dr. Natasha Radhu’s research focuses on psychiatry, neurology and medical devices.
As a postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Radhu used Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to study the brain’s excitatory and inhibitory circuits. She investigated whether an imbalance in the circuits in the motor cortex, the section of the brain that governs movement, leaves people with Parkinson’s disease unable to calm a barrage of signals to the area of the brain that directs movement. Her research contributes to the development of a diagnostic tool and a way to see if the medication used to treat Parkinson’s is effective.