Dystonia Society awards seed funding to Dundee researcher

Published On Mon 14 Sep 2015 by Grant Hill

Dr Tom Gilbertson, a Clinical Lecturer in Neurology at the University of Dundee, has been awarded £30,000 to carry out research into a disabling and currently incurable neurological condition that causes uncontrollable and sometimes painful muscle spasms.

Around 70,000 people in the UK live with dystonia, and can experience difficulties with movement, eating, talking, writing, reading and sometimes even sitting up. The grant, awarded by the Dystonia Society, will fund a behavioural and imaging study in dystonic patients. Data from this project will then be used to support further applications for larger scale grants from major funders to develop new treatment approaches.

Dr Gilbertson said, “The aim of our study is to apply recent advances in understanding the role of striatal dopamine in order to generate new insights into the basic biology of the disease. We will use functional magnetic resonance imaging to see what is going on in the brains of people with dystonia and detailed computational modelling of the role of dopamine in the selection of muscles for movement - a task in which the striatum has an important role.”

Dr Gilbertson’s project was one of 11 funding applications reviewed by a panel of neurologists and the Dystonia Society’s Research Committee.

Peter Meager, a Trustee of the Dystonia Society, said, “Dr Gilbertson’s project came out as the one being most likely to further the Dystonia Society’s aims of improving treatments for people with the many forms of this illness and, hopefully, leading towards an eventual cure.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Dystonia Society is a small national charity which has been dedicated to helping people living with dystonia for more than thirty years. We provide support and information to enable people with dystonia get access to the best possible treatment and other forms of support they need; in addition we help them identify the best ways to manage their condition so they can cope day to day.  See  www.dystonia.org.uk for further details.

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