Meet Professor Sylvia Gustin,
Head of the NeuroRecovery Research Hub
I have a vision to change the lives of people who have been affected by a spinal cord injury, who are suffering from chronic pain, or have mental health challenges. I am like an astronaut in the field of neurorecovery research. My goal at the NeuroRecovery Research Hub is to explore new methods using immersive virtual reality to retrain the brain, to build new pathways, new programs, to rebuild the motherboard of the brain that drives the human body and human emotions. Through innovative therapies, neuromodulation interventions and spinal transcutaneous simulation, we are working to test new treatments through a series of clinical trials over the coming years.
When I see what is currently available, it is too little. My ideas and how I want to change the brain are something new and I hope these will make a difference. When I talk at conferences, I hear people say this is innovative, revolutionary, this is so new. This is what gets me out of bed everyday - I am trying to do things out-of-the box. I am thinking about how we can retrain the brain using virtual reality, EEG neuromodulation and innovative brain technologies.
Everyday I think if I can make a difference to one person’s life – this is a life worth living!