Brain Recovery Lab at the MGH Institute of Health Professions

02/13/2026

BRL in Anaheim at the APTA Combined sections meeting. Matt Picard-Frasier APTA Promotion of Doctoral studies winner

02/09/2026

Super excited to be a part of this ground-breaking work. There is strong evidence for a "new" brain area relevant for Parkinson Disease. Could there be more effective neuromodulatory targets?

The substantia nigra and all Parkinson’s disease deep-brain stimulation targets are selectively connected to the somato-cognitive action network rather than to effector-specific motor regions.

07/31/2025

“The quality of one’s recovery from stroke should not depend on their ZIP code, insurance status or the cultural competency of their health care providers.”

A new policy statement highlights gaps in access to stroke rehab & measures to improve outcomes.

Policy Statement Highlights: A new American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Policy Statement lays out key policy levers needed to improve access to stroke rehabilitation and improve patient outcomes. The statement also outlines key...

06/24/2025

The newest PhD in Boston! Congratulations Dr Baothy Huynh. A stunning presentation and defense.

06/19/2025

Coming your way soon: Dr Kimberley makes her second appearance on the Know Stroke Podcast again! She was talking about the long-term results of Paired VNS in stroke. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.124.050479://www.linkedin.com/company/knowstrokepodcast/

Create your own studio-quality content.

03/01/2025

New article alert! This was an amazing collaborative effect with David Lin's lab (https://ltnr.mgh.harvard.edu/). We've described a third category of TMS response in people with acute stroke. This may be useful to help understand and predict how people may recover or what the best rehabilitation intervention may be. Huge congrats to Dr. Isha Vora for expertly leading this effort.
https://www.brainstimjrnl.com/article/S1935-861X(25)00045-2/fulltext
MGH Institute Doctor of Physical Therapy ProgramMGH Institute of Health Professions

Upper extremity (UE) motor recovery is highly variable after stroke. It is known that individuals who present with less initial impairment after stroke ultimately have better UE function than those presenting with greater initial impairment.1 Neurophysiologic assessment can improve the evaluation an...

10/24/2024

Greetings from Boston and the Brain Recovery Lab. We are so grateful for Dysphonia International and all they do to support people with voice disorders and dysphonia research!

09/25/2024

Beyond honored to have been nominated and awarded the MGHIHP award for Excellence in Research Mentoring. Extra special because chair Keshrie Naidoo won the (highly deserved) Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion award at the same ceremony. !

09/18/2024

Harvest moon over the Constitution. Amazing place to work!

06/05/2024

Baothy Huynh, 4th year PhD candidate and member of the Brain Recovery Lab, received the American Fellowship from the American
Association of University Women.

Founded in 1881 by women who defied society’s conventions by earning college degrees, AAUW has since worked to increase women’s access, opportunity, and equity in higher education through research, advocacy, philanthropy, and supporting thousands of women scholars over the years. Candidates are evaluated based on scholarly excellence, quality and
originality of project design, and active commitment to helping women and girls through service in their communities, professions, or fields of research.

Her dissertation work, Neural Inhibition in Focal Dystonia, will focus on understanding the role of inhibition in the pathophysiology of task-specific focal dystonia using multimodal techniques: functional magnetic resonance imaging and transcranial magnetic stimulation, which she hopes will pave the way toward improved diagnosis and treatment.

05/24/2024

Matthew Picard-Fraser, 2nd year PhD student and member of the Brain Recovery Lab recently received an award from the Dr. David Krebs Doctoral Research Fund. This award funds current MGH Institute of Health Professions PhD students to support their scholarly activities and dissemination of research related to motor function. Matt’s project will focus on understanding the neurophysiology mechanism of Paired Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) when used for motor recovery after an ischemic stroke. He will utilize transcranial magnetic stimulation measures along with robotic assessments to quantify physiological changes and functional improvements.

His study will also explore the use of TMS measures as a
potential biomarker for patient response to Paired VNS. He
hopes that this work will lead to an improved understanding of
recovery after stroke and new treatment options.

05/09/2024

Dr Kimberley on the Know Stroke Podcast in honor of Stroke Awareness month!

Welcome to the Know Stroke Podcast with your co-hosts Mike Garrow (stroke caregiver) & David Dansereau (stroke survivor). We aim to amplify the voices, contributions, and achievements of change makers in stroke care.