What Makes Us Tic? The Human Brain, Movement Disorders and The Way Forward

The control of movement engages much of the human brain. It requires an awareness of where the body is in relation to where it intends to go, and selection of the appropriate plan to get there. However, damage or disease of certain brain areas can result in abnormal movement or movement disorders including Essential tremor, Restless Legs Syndrome, and Parkinson's disease.

Movement disorders have a profound effect on the daily life of patients and their families, with many patients unable to perform simple everyday tasks and avoiding socialising due to embarrassment about their condition. Movement disorders are a major cause of loss of mobility and independent living in the community and are a primary cause of nursing home admissions in Australia. The annual cost of Parkinson's disease alone, in both social and economic terms, is comparable with that of cancer. Many movement disorders however cannot be cured and current treatments have limited efficacy and serious side-effects.

This lecture, presented by Dr Gabrielle Todd - Senior Research Fellow at UniSA, will explain how scientists investigate brain control of movement in conscious people and will explore novel ways to identify individuals that may be predisposed to developing a movement disorder. It will also discuss innovative research aimed at reducing the severity of symptoms.

For more information visit the Knowledge Works website.