Neurological Rehabilitation: From Receptors to Behaviour
Event details
| Date | 24.06.2013 |
| Hour | 10:00 › 11:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Marco Molinari MD PhD, Santa Lucia Foundation, Rome. |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
Neurological Rehabilitation: From Receptors to Behaviour. A Story Told by the Spinal Cord and Cerebellum
Nowadays, Neurological Rehabilitation is facing exciting times in which the gap between basic scientific knowledge of brain plasticity mechanisms and bedside use is closing. This is particularly true considering the great changes that research data forced in our views of cerebellar involvement in brain functioning and of rehabilitation approaches to spinal cord injuries. In the sixties very little doubt existed on the motor specificity of the cerebellum, today cerebellar contribution is considered critical also in a variety of non-motor domains, such as cognition, emotion, and affection processing. In this evolution also our understanding of learning mechanism and control systems has changed and this knowledge is producing quite an impact on the understanding of pathologies once not considered within the cerebellar domain such as autism, schizophrenia and mood disorders. Similar changes have been seen in our view of spinal cord function. Once considered almost only a channel to convey brain commands to the periphery at present we know that spinal cord circuits are capable of processing complex signals and behaviours. Furthermore, today’s technology and animal models allow the addressing of brain-spinal cord interactions after spinal cord lesion at many levels from molecular to physiological capable of guiding clinicians toward a more effective rehabilitation.
Nowadays, Neurological Rehabilitation is facing exciting times in which the gap between basic scientific knowledge of brain plasticity mechanisms and bedside use is closing. This is particularly true considering the great changes that research data forced in our views of cerebellar involvement in brain functioning and of rehabilitation approaches to spinal cord injuries. In the sixties very little doubt existed on the motor specificity of the cerebellum, today cerebellar contribution is considered critical also in a variety of non-motor domains, such as cognition, emotion, and affection processing. In this evolution also our understanding of learning mechanism and control systems has changed and this knowledge is producing quite an impact on the understanding of pathologies once not considered within the cerebellar domain such as autism, schizophrenia and mood disorders. Similar changes have been seen in our view of spinal cord function. Once considered almost only a channel to convey brain commands to the periphery at present we know that spinal cord circuits are capable of processing complex signals and behaviours. Furthermore, today’s technology and animal models allow the addressing of brain-spinal cord interactions after spinal cord lesion at many levels from molecular to physiological capable of guiding clinicians toward a more effective rehabilitation.
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Prof. O.Blanke, Prof. J. del R. Millán