Students Affiliated with CFMM

Gesine Alders
We are exploring the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore functional organization of the brain in patients with medically intractable epilepsy secondary to non-progressive lesions (congenital or acquired before the age five years), using stimulation paradigms exploring language, memory, motor, somatosensory, and visual functions. We aim to characterize any reorganisation of function in these patients, which may be indicative of brain plasticity. FMRI findings will be correlated with anatomical MRI, EEG, neurological and neuropsychological data, to develop a pre-surgical screening tool for patients with intractable epilepsy, considering surgery.
Matt Hutchison
Matt received his honors bachelor's degree in Physiology and Psychology at the University of Western Ontario. He is now a first year Neuroscience graduate student living out his dream to work in the Robarts Research Institute's imaging department. Matt is co-supervised by Dr. Stan Leung and Dr. Seyed Mirsattari. Using the new ultra-high field 9.4T Varian system, he is exploring hippocampal theta rhythms and epilepsy using simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). When away from the lab and his wife, Matt is actively involved in training and coaching mixed martial arts.