Magstim announced winners of its Young Investigator Award 2008 and Summer School Poster Session during the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Summer School 2008 in London in May
Both awards recognise the scientific research of those working with magnetic stimulation within the fields of Neuroscience and Neurology.
Marco Davare, University College London (UCL), Institute of Neurology, Sobell Dept of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders has been awarded the Magstim Young Investigator Award 2008 for his work studying how the brain controls skilled hand movements.
Davare hopes to gain a better understanding of these motor mechanisms in order to help people with neurological conditions who have difficulties carrying out everyday tasks involving their hands.
Using TMS as a technique to induce transient 'virtual lesions' in healthy volunteers, Davare is looking for a direct causal relationship between a 'lesion' of a precise part of the brain and its role in controlling movement performance.
For the first year at the conference, a poster session was run during the summer school, generating huge interest with over 20 international entries.
From the high calibre of research presented, PhD student Niamh Kennedy, Queen's University Belfast, School of Psychology was awarded the poster prize for her poster on the effect of simultaneous contractions of ipsilateral muscles on changes in corticospinal excitability induced by paired associative stimulation (PAS).
Kennedy's study investigates methods of non-invasive stimulation (PAS) that effectively and reliably induce plasticity in projections to arm muscles.
The intention is that the most effective method of non-invasive stimulation for manipulating plasticity will be combined with a movement based technique to prime the brain before more established rehabilitation techniques are used in a stroke population.
"The standard of submissions for both awards this year was exceptionally high and it is encouraging to see so many young researchers enthusiastic about advancing magnetic stimulation techniques," commented Professor Vincent Walsh, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL, member of the awarding committee for both prizes.
"We are grateful to Magstim for sponsoring the summer school and for giving up-and-coming researchers another opportunity to be recognised within their research community."
