University of Calgary

Brain and Mental Health

Submitted by alumni on Sun, 11/08/2015 - 14:13.

Brain and Mental Health

Led by the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, we’re setting the course for advancements in brain and mental health research. With leading experts in a wide range of fields working in interdisciplinary teams, the strategy positions the university to unlock new discoveries and treatments in three broad pillars: brain and behaviour, neural injury and repair and healthy brain aging.
By Jennifer Allford


TMS Helps Children with Cerebral Palsy

Dr. Adam Kirton is using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) as a non-invasive tool to map the brain. TMS maps reveal how the brain reorganizes itself after an injury, including children with cerebral palsy. Using TMS, Kirton is helping these children improve their motor control. U

Dr. Adam Kirtin is the associate professor in the departments of paediatrics and clinical neurosciences at Cumming School of Medicine and is part of Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI).

1 pediatric

brain-stimulation lab in Canada, at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute (ACHRI).

50 per cent

of Canadian families are affected by diseases or disorders of the brain.

20 minutes

of TMS for 10 days is what a group of minors received before heading into six hours of occupational and physical therapy. TMS, undeniably, improved the children’s motor function.

1 child a week

is diagnosed at Alberta Children’s Hospital with having had a stroke at birth causing cerebral palsy and physical disabilities, epilepsy, developmental delays and mental health and behavioural issues.

1,000 Alberta children

are currently living with a perinatal stroke of some type.