Bringing back the groove

trevor.kenney — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:09:10 +0000

Music has power – it's a certain fact that few, if any, will deny. From the earliest of our days, our mothers sing us lullabies, and later as children we learn ABC's and nursery rhymes to sweet little tunes. Music has the power to make us believe in something greater than ourselves. It crosses cultural, generational and racial barriers. It is the sure go-to when we're feeling low in spirits or high as a kite, and on more than one occasion has been just the romantic backdrop needed to make heartstrings tug. We each have a certain soundtrack to our lives – rhythms that inspire, beats that blare and grooves that rock.

Considering that music is such an integral part of our modern-day culture, it shouldn't come as a surprise that up-and-coming researchers are looking at its power. But still, the concept that music can help in the healing of those who suffer from Parkinson's disease is oddly surprising.

Working in the lab of Dr. Lesley Brown, U of L neuroscience PhD student Natalie de Bruin (BSc '06, MSc '08)

Natalie de Bruin finds it satisfying to make a difference, through her research, in people's lives.

is contributing to a study on how music affects the gait of people with the degenerative disorder. The study emerged from anecdotal evidence that suggests that listening to music could help people with Parkinson's move with greater control and ease.

"There was an example of a lady who had Parkinson's and was severely debilitated, but when you played ABBA's Dancing Queen, she would go from being almost frozen to dancing with her husband," explains de Bruin.

For people with Parkinson's disease, things most of us take for granted – like grocery shopping or collecting the mail – can become monumental challenges. The disorder causes a shortage of dopamine in the brain, resulting in rigid muscles, tremors and slowed movements.

As a result of these movement challenges, people are at risk of falling and injuring themselves, especially the elderly. It's a disease that robs people of their independence and takes away the joy of movement. But, through the use of music, de Bruin is finding, it doesn't have to remain that way.

Working together, the U of L, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ are collaborating on a number of projects related to music and movement. De Bruin is contributing to a 12-week study with patients from both Lethbridge (which is known for its large senior-citizen population) and Halifax.

In the experimental group, Parkinson's patients were given iPods loaded with songs that matched the rhythm of their own stereotypical walking patterns. Three days a week, participants listened to the music while walking. Those in the control group went about their normal day-to-day activities without music. The project has relied on sophisticated biomedical engineering devices like motion capture cameras (at the U of L) and pressure-sensitive floors (at Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ) to objectively assess changes in how participants walk.

After preliminary evaluation, the results are pointing to the fact that music really does aid in movement. "It's possible that music may offer a safe walking intervention for many Parkinson's patients," says de Bruin. "We want this to be something individuals can enjoy and continue using."

Unlike other modes of physiotherapy for Parkinson's, walking is less repetitive and listening to music adds an element of fun to the activity.

For de Bruin, the most satisfying component of her PhD research has been working with the participants.

"I've had the opportunity to find out how participants have benefited from the research we're doing," she says. "It's gratifying to know that what I'm doing is making a difference for them."

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Added funding promotes epigenetic research

trevor.kenney — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:48:49 +0000

A brain injury as a youth can make a person more likely to suffer from strokes, Parkinson's or other diseases of the brain later in life.

The big question might be "why?" but the answer may be found by looking at something very, very small: understanding how an individual gene can go wrong or not work properly over a person's lifetime.

The emerging research discipline that can help find that answer is called epigenetics, and thanks to a significant amount of recent funding, researchers at the U of L are poised to assume a significant leadership role in epigenetics research.

Epigenetics (which means 'beyond genetics' in Latin) is the study of how individual genes and components of individual genes can change in response to environmental conditions or other factors.

Nearly 20 U of L researchers from three academic departments (Neuroscience, Chemistry and Biochemistry and Biological Sciences) and up to 50 graduate and doctoral-level researchers will be involved in the initial phases of the research. Significant expansions are planned for future years of the research program.

In addition to $3 million in start-up funding announced last summer from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, a recent funding announcement from the Government of Alberta's Alberta Science and Research Investments Program (ASRIP) has awarded a research team from the U of L more than $2.8 million.

"This funding, along with our matching funds from the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and support from the U of L and other granting agencies, will boost the U of L to a world-class level in terms of our ability to identify and work on new epigenetics projects," says Dr. Robert Sutherland, a neuroscience researcher and one of the driving forces behind the new epigenetics research program.

Along with colleagues Drs. Olga and Igor Kovalchuk in Biological Sciences and collaborators in Chemistry and Biochemistry and other departments on campus – and a huge team of graduate and undergraduate students – Sutherland said the researchers are looking forward to a lot of work now and in the future to tease solutions to a number of health issues out of the complex genetics system that makes up the human body.

"This funding will allow us to gather even more people and resources together in one place to learn about how individual genes can affect people's health and well-being," Sutherland says.

"Education and science lie at the heart of our future prosperity," adds Doug Horner, Minister of Advanced Education and Technology. "These continued research awards help attract and retain the best and brightest researchers and, in turn, help improve the competitiveness of our industries. Our researchers are paving the way to bring about new products, services and treatments that can lead to a better quality of life for Albertans."

Alberta's universities shared almost $44 million in awards for research into developing new treatments for diabetics, burn victims and lung disease patients, improving GPS accuracy and adding value to Alberta's traditional crops as well as the U of L's epigenetics research program.

For 2009, Alberta Science and Research Investments Program awards provide up to 40 per cent of total project costs to 18 initiatives in priority areas of bioindustries, energy and the environment, and health. The projects will also receive $66 million from other sources, including the federal government and private sector partners. Since 2000, the program has provided more than $169 million for over 100 projects.

UNews - Parkinson's

Bringing back the groove

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Added funding promotes epigenetic research

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