Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy
In Motion
DIVISION OF BIOKINESIOLOGY AND PHYSICAL THERAPY AT THE SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY
VoVOL. 2, 2006
Center for Brain Repair and Rehabilitation Established at USC
W
e are proud to announce the creation of the Phillips-Fisher Center for Brain Repair and Rehabilitation at the University of Southern California Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy. This is the first center at USC focused on understanding brain repair and translating cutting-edge discoveries into new clinical treatments. The Center brings together dedicated clinical and basic science researchers from the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy and
The Brainsight™ Frameless neuronavigation system guides the positioning of the TMS coil to target specific brain areas.
the Department of Neurology at the Keck School of Medicine, as well as other USC departments and programs, to study mechanisms of brain repair and recovery in individuals with neurologic disorders. The goals of the Center are to develop intervention strategies to facilitate brain recovery and improve quality of life in individuals suffering from a wide range of neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s
and Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and traumatic brain injury. To achieve these ambitious and important goals, the Center seeks to create an environment where both established and new researchers in the clinical and basic sciences are able to develop projects on common goals of brain repair. Another important goal of the center is the education and training of students, fellows, residents, physicians and researchers within the University, as well as caregivers, and, most importantly, the patients. “The Phillips-Fisher Center became a passion for me as my wife and clinical researcher, Beth Fisher, PhD, demonstrated how her research is helping to influence the lives of patients worldwide,” stated Roger Phillips, founder of the PhillipsFisher Center. “This passion led to my commitment to give initial funding for the Phillips-Fisher Center, and develop a campaign to raise $2.5 million in funding,” he added. During the first year, the Center has raised over $1 million in gifts from generous donors sharing this vision and hope of a better future for individuals with neurological disorders. These funds enabled the Center to accomplish goals otherwise not easily achieved, such as the creation of a state-ofthe-art neuroimaging laboratory for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). This neuroimaging tool provides key Continued on page 9
Bradley Receives Award to Study Fetal Movement and its Effects on Postnatal Motor Behavior Dr. Nina Bradley is the principal investigator of a research grant recently awarded by the NIH-National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The proposal, entitled “Development and control of repetitive leg movements during embryonic development,” was awarded three years of funding totaling $405,870. The long term objectives of the study are to determine if fetal movements, and the environment in which they are generated, contribute to adaptive postnatal motor behavior. The studies employ a novel model, the chicken embryo, instrumented for synchronized recording and analysis of electromyograms and kinematics during spontaneous movements in the egg. Results will provide fundamental information relevant to questions of environmental impact on the neural control of prenatal limb movements during normal development in utero and when environmental forces are altered by extremely premature birth. For Continued on page 9