Dr. Dale Corbett
Canada Research Chair in Stroke
and Neuroplasticity
Phone: 709-777-6705
E-mail: corbett@mun.ca
Achievements: Research supported by such major funding
organizations as CIHR, Heart and Stroke Foundation, NSERC and the
Canadian Stroke Network; numerous articles published in leading
international journals; widely cited for research on the
neuroprotective benefits of hypothermia.
Research Involves: Investigating ways of enhancing recovery
of function after stroke through intensive forms of rehabilitation
experience and by administering drugs that foster brain plasticity
processes.
Research Relevance: Potential to reduce the disabilities
associated with stroke.
Helping the Brain Repair Itself After Stroke
Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the number one cause
of permanent disability in Canada. Currently, only one drug is
effective in treating stroke, and it must be given within three
hours after injury to provide benefit. Furthermore, serious side
effects limit its use to about five percent of the stroke
population.
The intervention most likely to benefit the majority of stroke
patients is promoting recovery of brain function. After stroke, the
brain, like any other part of the body, attempts to repair itself;
it has considerable capacity for restoration and reorganization
after damage. Recent findings suggest that this process of
self-repair can be profoundly affected (positively or negatively)
by post-stroke factors such as the timing or intensity of
rehabilitation.
Dr. Dale Corbett, Canada Research Chair in Stroke and Neuroplasticity, will investigate novel combinations of intensive rehabilitation and drug therapy to enhance the repair processes of the brain. Potential mechanisms contributing to recovery will be identified through a detailed examination of cortical and subcortical neurons and circuitry using specialized staining and neuronal tracing techniques.
An interesting aspect of the proposed research is the use of anti-depressants to promote recovery of function by enhancing the brain’s own reparative processes. A secondary and continuing focus of Dr. Corbett’s research is to use neuroprotective drugs to try to preserve more brain tissue put at risk by the potentially damaging effects of inflammation caused by stroke.
Dr. Corbett’s research program will provide fundamental information regarding the timing, long-term sustainability and mechanisms by which rehabilitation and drug therapy can increase the brain’s inherent capacity for recovery of function and compensation after stroke. This program has important implications for reducing the disabilities associated with stroke, thereby reducing the burden of this disorder on Canadian society.