Neuroscience Research

Mission

Director

Achievements

The Neuroscience Research Program provides a unique mammalian test-bed for phamacological manipulation of motor activity. No other centre presently exists where testing of drugs on relevant animal models is being carried out in collaboration with a clinical research team able to transfer new knowledge directly to clinical practice.

Secondarily labelled spinal cord activated during locomotion

Principal Investigators

K. W. Gavin Cheng, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Physiology. Protein chemistry, monoclonal antibodies, neural tissue culture, neural trophic factors, in vitro models for regeneration.

Hyman I. C. Dubo, M.D., Professor, Internal Medicine (Rehabilitation Medicine); Co-Director, Spinal Cord Research Centre. Clinical studies on spinal cord injury subjects, especially cardio-respiratory, effects of exercise, intrathecal drug studies.

Jonathan D. Geiger, Ph.D., Professor, Pharmacology & Therapeutics. Neuropharmacology, adenosine mechanisms for neuro-protection, receptor binding, calcium imaging, other standard neurochemical techniques, neural tissue culture, stroke and other models of neuronal injury, AIDS dementia.

Shawn Hochman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Physiology. Patch clamp electrophysiology, brain and spinal cord slice technology, isolated neonatal spinal cord methods, neuropharmacology, models of brainstem-spinal cord regeneration, in vitro model of chronic pain.

Larry M. Jordan, Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Physiology; Co-Director, Spinal Cord Research Centre; Director, Neuroscience Research Program. Spinal cord electrophysiology, neuropharmacology, regeneration studies, neural tissue culture, neural stem cells.

Dean J. Kriellaars, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Medical Rehabilitation. Human movement studies, bone density studies, inventor of several devices for use in rehabilitation, development of numerous software packages for rehabilitation research and clinical purposes.

Brenda M. Loveridge, Ph.D., Professor, Division of Physical Therapy; Director, Medical Rehabilitation. Cardio-respiratory studies in paraplegics, clinical studies on the effects of exercise in patients with spinal cord injury.

David A. McCrea, Ph.D., Professor, Physiology. Spinal cord electrophysiology, reflex alterations after injury, mechanisms of the stretch reflexes and other muscle reflexes during movement and after injury, spasticity studies, human reflex studies.

James I. Nagy, Ph.D., Professor, Physiology. Neurochemistry, molecular biology, immunohistochemistry, gap junction structure and function, factors affecting neural regeneration, glial scarring, cell migration in response to injury.

Dwight M. Nance, Ph.D., Professor, Pathology; Adjunct, Physiology / Anatomy / Psychology. Neuroimmunology, immunohistochemistry, models of spinal cord injury, activity-dependent labelling, neuroendocrinology.

Brian J. Schmidt, M.D., Associate Professor, Internal Medicine (Neurology); Adjunct, Physiology. In vitro electrophysiology and neuropharmacology, studies of spinal cord motor pattern generation.

Susan J. Shefchyk, Ph.D., Professor, Physiology. In vivo and in vitro electrophysiology, neural control of bladder function, reflex mechanisms in the spinal cord, presynaptic inhibition, spinal lesion studies, immunohistochemistry.

Current Action

1. Basic neurophysiological and neuropharmacological research on neural systems.
2. Determining the neuroactive substances which can be used to control locomotor activity, micturition, and spasticity.
3. Evaluating efficacy of intrathecal drug injections and stimulation procedures in human patients for control of movement, bladder function, and sexual function.
4. Identification and isolation of the nerve cells responsible for particular behaviours such as locomotion and bladder function.
5. Identification and isolation of growth inhibiting and promoting factors, and assessment of techniques for promotion of functional recovery after spinal injury by targeting regeneration strategies to selected functional systems.
6. Development of devices and pharmaceutical agents for treatment of neurological injury.

Potential Collaboration

For further information please contact:

Larry M. Jordan, Ph.D.
Director, Neuroscience Research Program
730 William Ave., BMSB 436
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3E 3J7

Tel: (204) 789-3761
Fax: (204) 789-3930
E-mail: info@scrc.umanitoba.ca