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Alexander Thiel, MD, established a lab at McGill University in 2006 and pursues significant research themes related to post-stroke recovery. His work focuses on understanding the pathophysiology of recovery after stroke and developing new treatment strategies for patients with post-stroke deficits. Thiel’s research employs molecular imaging methods to measure neuroinflammation in vivo, highlighting the effects of persistent microglia activity as a stroke risk factor that may lead to accelerated neurodegeneration and poor motor recovery. His group utilizes advanced imaging techniques, such as molecular PET and diffusion MRI, to demonstrate degenerative changes in stroke patients, revealing microstructural alterations in previously unaffected neural tracts. Additionally, they investigate transcallosal disinhibition, a major mechanism of maladaptive neuroplasticity in stroke recovery. Thiel has contributed to the establishment of high-resolution imaging methods to assess cortical neuronal density and thickness, demonstrating their relationship to regional cytoarchitecture. His expertise also includes non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, which aim to downregulate unaffected cerebral activity to restore inter-hemispheric dominance post-lesion. He has led the NORTHSTAR international multicenter trial in non-invasive brain stimulation for aphasia recovery, with promising results paving the way for future research.
McGill University • Montreal, Quebec
Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, specializing in research related to stroke recovery and neuroplasticity.
Department: Department of Medicine. Program: Experimental Medicine.