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Associate Professor Martin Sale

Associate Professor in Physio

School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences
m.sale@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 53008

Overview

The human nervous system is no longer thought of has hard-wired, and is in fact capable of rapid change throughout life. This plasticity is important for learning, memory and recovery from brain injury. I am interested in using emerging brain stimulation and imaging techniques to "artificially" induce plasticity in the human brain, to ultimately improve the treatment outcomes for various neurological conditions, particularly stroke. These stimulation techniques include transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

I completed a BSc in 1994 and received a First Class Honours in Physiology in 1995 from the University of Adelaide. I then completed a Bachelor of Physiotherapy Degree at the University of South Australia. Returning to research in 2005, I undertook a PhD at the University of Adelaide, which I completed in 2009. My doctoral studies focussed on a new and exciting area of neuroscience – neuroplasticity. At the time of commencing my PhD, it was becoming clear that various non-invasive brain stimulation techniques (such as TMS) were able to temporarily reorganise the circuitry in the human brain in a similar way to what happens when we learn something new or store a memory. I was interested in trying to understand why some people responded to these stimulation paradigms, and others didn’t. What I discovered was that it an important driver of plasticity in humans was when the stimulation was delivered. In effect, the brain seemed to learn better at night time compared to the morning. This has important clinical implications, as it suggests that rehabilitation might be more effective at a certain time of day.

I was awarded a University of Queensland Postdoctoral Fellowship in 2010, and then a NH&MRC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in 2011 to investigate more intensely how the brains of stroke patients rewire. I am using state-of-the-art stimulation and imaging techniques such as TMS, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) to understand how the brain reorganises when it stores information, and how we can boost this process.

I am currently an Associate Professor and Head of Physiotherapy within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at UQ. I head my own brain stimulation and imaging laboratory, and am conducting experiments in the following areas:

a) investigating the link between brain oscillations, sleep, plasticity and ageing;

b) improving hazard perception with brain sitmulation;

c) identifying factors that improve neuroplasticity induction in health and disease.

Research Interests

  • Neural oscillations and plasticity
    Synchronous oscillations in brain activity are thought important in "binding" remote but functionally related brain regions. These oscillations also have a role in promoting the consolidation of plasticity. I am using brain stimulation to induce brain oscillations, and to determine whether these oscillations might promote more robust plasticity induction in human cortex.
  • Improving hazard perception with brain stimulation
    Safe and effective driving is reliant on our ability to quickly identify approaching hazards, such as other cars and pedestrians. Skilled drivers are more quickly able to identify hazards and avoid collisions. Our research is using non-invasive brain stimulation to enhance hazard perception to improve driving ability.
  • Sleep-related brain oscillations, cognitive performance and brain stimulation
    Sleep is characterised with many changes in brain function. One of these is in deep sleep which is associated with slow changes in brain excitability (slow wave sleep). This stage of sleep is important in memory consolidation and probably also for flushing out toxins that build up during the day. This project will investigate whether these slow oscillations can be induced in the awake brain using brain stimulation, and whether they can improve brain function in health and disease.
  • Brain connectivity and brain stimulation
    Understanding how the brain responds to local changes in cortical excitability is critical in improving our understanding brain function. I am interested in combining brain imaging (fMRI and EEG) and brain stimulation (TMS and tDCS) to probe the neural response to local perturbations in brain activity.
  • Understanding the factors that influence neuroplasticity induction in humans
    Neuroplasticity, a key mechanism responsible for learning, memory and recovery of brain function, can be induced experimentally with brain stimulation. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), I am interested in understanding the neural factors that might predict how individuals respond to plasticity induction

Research Impacts

Understanding the neural correlates of plasticity, and how to boost these processes, promises to have profound economic and social impacts to our society. If we can harness the beneficial effects of plasticity, we might be able to improve stroke recovery, minimise the cognitive deficits in demential and Alzheimer's disease, and also understand how students should learn most effectively.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Adelaide

Publications

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Grants

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Supervision

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Available Projects

  • Can slow wave oscillations improve cognition in mild cognitive impairment

    Mild cognitive impairment is associated with impaired cognitition. Individuals with MCI are more likely to develop dementia later in life. It is well known that poor sleep can lead to cognitive decline and dementia. Sleep is characterised by a variety of neurophysiological changes in brain activity, including slow wave oscillations in brain activity. This project will investigate whether the application of artificial slow wave oscillations, via non-invasive brain stimulation, can mimic the beneficial aspects of sleep and improve cognition.

  • Sleep deprivation, cognitive performance and brain stimulation

    Sleep deprivation leads to profound impairments in brain function. This project will investigate whether non-invasive brain stimulation, applied to mimic sleep-like processes, can improve cognitive and motor performance, without the need for sleep.

  • Improving hazard perception with brain stimulation

    Safe and effective driving is reliant on our ability to quickly identify approaching hazards, such as other cars and pedestrians. Skilled drivers are more quickly able to identify hazards and avoid collisions. Our research is using non-invasive brain stimulation to enhance hazard perception to improve driver safety.

View all Available Projects

Publications

Featured Publications

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Slow wave transcranial electrical stimulation during wake to investigate the consolidation of new learning

    Wood, Julia, Brownsett, Sonia, Bland, Nicholas and Sale, Martin (2021). Slow wave transcranial electrical stimulation during wake to investigate the consolidation of new learning. Sleep Down Under, Online, 8-11 November 2021. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/sleepadvances/zpab014.202

  • Spatial attention influences plasticity induction in the motor cortex

    Kamke, Marc, Ryan, Alexander, Sale, Martin, Campbell, Megan, Riek, Stephan, Carroll, Timothy and Mattingley, Jason (2015). Spatial attention influences plasticity induction in the motor cortex. XII International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON-XII), Brisbane, QLD, United States, 27-31 July 2014. Lausanne, Switzerland: Frontiers Research Foundation. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2015.217.00258

Other Outputs

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Can slow wave oscillations improve cognition in mild cognitive impairment

    Mild cognitive impairment is associated with impaired cognitition. Individuals with MCI are more likely to develop dementia later in life. It is well known that poor sleep can lead to cognitive decline and dementia. Sleep is characterised by a variety of neurophysiological changes in brain activity, including slow wave oscillations in brain activity. This project will investigate whether the application of artificial slow wave oscillations, via non-invasive brain stimulation, can mimic the beneficial aspects of sleep and improve cognition.

  • Sleep deprivation, cognitive performance and brain stimulation

    Sleep deprivation leads to profound impairments in brain function. This project will investigate whether non-invasive brain stimulation, applied to mimic sleep-like processes, can improve cognitive and motor performance, without the need for sleep.

  • Improving hazard perception with brain stimulation

    Safe and effective driving is reliant on our ability to quickly identify approaching hazards, such as other cars and pedestrians. Skilled drivers are more quickly able to identify hazards and avoid collisions. Our research is using non-invasive brain stimulation to enhance hazard perception to improve driver safety.

This staff member is a UQ Expert for media in the following fields:

Transcranial magnetic stimulation, brain stimulation, plasticity, brain doping, ageing, transcranial direct current stimulation, stroke, neurorehabilitation, physiotherapy, training, neuroscience, brain imaging, EEG, sleep

They are happy to lend their expertise to your articles or broadcasts and share their research discoveries and insights with the community via media channels.

For additional assistance with story ideas, general advice and information or help with seeking further experts, please email the UQ Media Team or telephone (07) 3365 1120.

Links

ResearcherID: B-6621-2009

ORCID: 0000-0002-2913-9212

Scopus ID: 7004560663

Google Scholar ID: C_jzBvAAAAAJ

Personal Profile: Link

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