Neuroplasticity is the focus of new PT faculty member’s research

Department of Physical Therapy Assistant Professor Anjali Sivaramakrishnan, PT, Ph.D., wants to learn more about the potential of non-invasive brain stimulation on improving mobility for patients experiencing problems with movement due to neurological disorders. 

Dr. Sivaramakrishnan, who joined the faculty in December, is establishing her neuroplasticity research program. In particular, she is hoping her research will address gaps in the translation of the potential benefits of non-invasive brain stimulation from lab to clinic.

“I’m trying to find out if we can develop tools that will be helpful in improving neuroplasticity,” she said, describing the brain’s ability to change in response to stimulation. “Say you learn a particular instrument, but as you keep practicing you get better because the connections in your brain start widening up.”

Two tools she is studying are transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), a form of non-invasive brain stimulation that reveals how a person’s brain state changed after a particular intervention, and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which potentially makes the brain more responsive to therapy.

Dr. Sivaramakrishnan pointed out that tDCS is commercially available as a small hand-held, a battery-operated device with electrodes that can be applied to the scalp over the area of the brain that controls the arm or leg or other areas. 

“A lot of people use it for gaming. They think it improves their cognition and game performance,” she said.

“My aim is to see if tDCS can be used to help people walk better and improve mobility in people with paralysis, such as those with stroke or spinal cord injury,” she said. “Can this be used to improve motor function or anything to do with movement?”

Dr. Sivaramakrishnan earned a Ph.D. in rehabilitation sciences in 2020 from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and her master’s degree focused on neurological rehabilitation. She is co-teaching this semester and will teach neuroscience to first-year students in the summer semester. She also is interested in clinical practice.

“We’re lucky to have her,” said Department of Physical Therapy Chair and Associate Professor Greg Ernst, Ph.D., ECS. “Her area of expertise is unique and a great complement to the rest of our faculty.”