With recent research concluding that 6 in 10 Americans live with a debilitating neurological disorder, patients, families and clinicians are navigating complex and emotional journeys now more than ever. Our neuroscience research can help. We have a deep portfolio of studies and programs designed to improve the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of brain and spine disorders. We span the spectrum of conditions with a focus on neurogenerative disease and neurorehabilitation.<\/p>\n
Areas of interest include:<\/strong><\/p>\n Research teams conducting clinical trials and other research are a part of our Neuroscience Research Center<\/a>. This includes research performed in close partnership with HealthPartners Center for Memory and Aging and Struthers Parkinson’s Center (designated a National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence). Our research is conducted at multiple sites across the organization including HealthPartners Neuroscience Center, Park Nicollet Struthers Parkinson\u2019s Center, Regions Hospital and Methodist Hospital.<\/p>\n Care partners of people with dementia often suffer from chronic stress that impacts their mental and physical health. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) has been shown to help care partners reduce symptoms of depression. An adapted practice has been tailored specifically to focus on care partners. It’s called mindfulness-based dementia care (MBDC). We are studying MBDC to assess how feasible it is to implement and how well it’s accepted.<\/p>\n Mindfulness-based dementia care includes the core practices, stress-related education and approaches to everyday stressors taught in MBSR. In addition, the mindfulness practices are linked with caregiving.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n We found that drugs given through the nose can travel directly to the brain along the nerves of brain cells responsible for the sense of smell. This drastically changed the way we can treat all brain and spine disorders, allowing us to non-invasively give nerve growth proteins, peptides and therapeutic cells.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n We are evaluating the impact of acupuncture on traumatic brain injury and Myasthenia Gravis, an autoimmune disease. The goal is to learn if acupuncture can reduce pain and increase quality of life. This research has the potential to improve acupuncture dosing and treatment in the future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Research shows that chronic inflammation can be reduced through exercise, but the link hasn\u2019t been studied extensively in people with spinal cord injury. By studying the impact of a 12-week adapted exercise program, we not only aim to improve outcomes for people with spinal cord injuries, we also are supporting more affordable care. If our research shows a reduction in the cost of care and improvement in quality of life, exercise programs could eventually be a covered benefit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n We are assessing the effectiveness of a promising model for dementia care called the Care Ecosystem. It\u2019s a telephone and web-based approach that uses care navigators to help patients with dementia and their caregivers navigate their care and connect with community resources such as food delivery services, financial assistance and more. This is a nationwide research project funded by the National Institute on Aging.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
Investigators<\/h2>\n
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Key projects<\/h3>\n\n
Pilot study of mindfulness-based dementia care for care partners<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Improving precision medicine through intranasal delivery of therapeutics <\/strong><\/h3>\n
The impact of acupuncture <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Assessing the impact of exercise on spinal cord injuries<\/strong><\/h3>\n
A coordinated model of dementia care<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Key publications<\/h3>\n