LRU – Institute of Clinical Neuroscience of Southern Switzerland (INSI)

RESEARCH COORDINATOR: Mrs. Mara Gola-Bricalli

The mission of the LRU-INSI is to promote, initiate and carry out scientific research in clinical neurosciences and ophthalmology in Southern Switzerland. Each research Unit of the INSI has his own research priority and projects, conducted as single center or in conjunction with other INSI, Swiss or foreign research centers. Both research of academic type and industry-funded research are conducted.

Continuous scientific research pivoting around clinical and translational neuroscience is urgently needed to accelerate the discoveries in neuroscience and improve the clinical outcomes for patients affected by chronic neurological conditions. Hence, the LRU-INSI wants to encourage research projects across the different services, especially for the competitive and in-depth studies in clinical research in chronic diseases of the central nervous system including retinal diseases.

From the different current research priorities of the LRU-INSI, we indicate here only a selection of the most relevant ones (see most relevant publications below):

• Exploring brain function during sleep and sleep-related disorders by using innovative electrophysiological approaches, paying particular attention to sleep related movement disorders such as restless legs syndrome, ^1,2 including new therapeutic approaches such as electrical spinal stimulation.
• Exploration of risks associated with new multiple sclerosis therapies in aged multiple sclerosis patients and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and searching for innovative neuromodulation treatments of overactive bladder in MS.³
• Comprehensive evaluation by multiple approaches of biomarkers such as pathological protein expression in skin biopsies of patients clinically diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy, and tauopathies.⁴
• Investigation on preceding infections, autoantibodies and T cells on inflammatory neuropathies.⁵
• Understanding the role of multimodal advanced neuroimaging for the diagnosis and treatment for acute ischemic stroke patients and recognition new serum biomarkers in order to optimize the diagnostic process of transient ischemic attack.⁶
• Evaluation of adult patients with a first seizure to find out electroencephalography and brain magnetic resonance imaging biomarkers of epilepsy.
• Investigation of genetic and clinical predictors of efficacy of new migraine treatments.
• Influence of neuronal plasticity changes during sleep on movement disorders such as cervical dystonia and dyskinesia in Parkinson´s disease.
• Investigation of the putative role of Tau in the management of a lesion to the DNA or in the epigenetic regulation of DNA transcription and the identification of the cellular organelle where toxic forms of Tau propagate during disease progression.
• Evaluation of the impact of hormonal treatment on sleep in patients with prostate cancer, and on REM sleep behaviour disorders in Parkinson’s Disease.
• Investigation of benefit of revascularization treatments in patients with acute ischemic stroke and COVID-19.⁷
• Investigation on the role of brain perfusion imaging in identifying patients with basal artery occlusion who have a positive response to endovascular thrombectomy⁸.

The LRU’s proactive management ensures high quality research within INSI-EOC.

Currently, advanced methods and approaches distinguish the research of INSI-EOC, like:

• 3D-STIR-ZOOMit, in-house developed magnetic resonance imaging sequence, combining high spatial and contrast resolution for the detection of small lesions in anterior visual pathways⁹.
• High-Density EEG approach in sleep disorders.
• Neuromuscular ultrasound to diagnose myopathies, inflammatory/entrapment/hereditary neuropathies, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, diaphragmatic palsy.
• Minimal-invasive spinal interventions for discogenic pain.
• New intraoperative imaging and navigation technologies in complex spinal surgery.
• Stent screw-assisted internal fixation technique using a percutaneous implant of vertebral body stents and cement-augmented pedicle screws in patients with non-neoplastic vertebra plana fractures.¹⁰
• Implant posterior tibial nerve stimulator device in multiple sclerosis patients suffering from neurogenic bowel and urinary dysfunctions.
• Telerehabilitation approach to improve cognitive functioning and reduce fatigue symptoms in neuroinflammation disease.
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment based on the image-guided approach to reduce symptoms related to neurodegenerative diseases; Stent screw-assisted internal fixation technique using a percutaneous implant of vertebral body stents and cement-augmented pedicle screws in patients with non-neoplastic vertebra plana fractures.¹⁰

Source: Web of Science, 31.01.2023

LRU-INSI shares the commitment to translational biomedical research with laboratories for Translational Research (LRT) of EOC. See more details at the following link: https://lrteoc.ch