MSI PI Bernadette Gillick (assistant professor, Rehabilitation Medicine) is the lead author on a recently published pilot study of using non-invasive brain stimulation to improve the motor skills and coordination of children affected by cerebral palsy (CP). The study investigated the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation, in which low-level electrical current is positioned on the scalp to target specific areas of the brain. This is the first study of this therapy, and its promising results indicate the need for a broader study.
An article about this research can be found on the University of Minnesota News site: UMN Research Brief: Non-invasive brain stimulation could help treat cerebral palsy.
Professor Gillick uses MSI resources to work with neuroimaging data in a study of children with perinatal stroke.