Welcome to The Mobility Brief, the monthly podcast from the Gray Centre for Mobility and Activity at St. Joseph's Health Care London. It's Monday, December 8, 2025. In this episode, we have three updates from the centre. Let's get started.

Our first update looks at recent work exploring the brain after a stroke, specifically asking: What can an imbalance in brain activity tell us about ankle function after a stroke? This research, led by Siying Luan and colleagues, had engagement from the Centre's own Jamie Fleet, Ricardo Viana, Robert Teasell, and Sue Peters. The study used functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure prefrontal cortex activity in people with subacute stroke during active and passive ankle movements, as well as during sensory stimulation. Their results indicate that while activation levels within a single brain hemisphere did not differ across tasks, a greater imbalance of activation between the two hemispheres during passive and sensory tasks may be associated with poorer functional outcomes.

For our second update, we're looking at knee pain, with research asking: Where do pain-sensing nerves enter the thigh bone at the knee? This study was led by John Tran, with contributions from the Centre's Eldon Loh. To answer their question, the researchers used 19 thigh bones, photographed the end that forms the knee joint, and mapped the locations of the small holes where nerves enter the bone. They found that the location of these nerve entry points varied but tended to cluster in specific areas. For instance, on the front surface of the bone, a majority of these holes were concentrated on the inner half.

Our final update for this episode moves to brain health, with a study asking: Is an online brain health program usable and beneficial for older adults? This work, which had support from the Centre's Manuel Montero-Odasso, examined an online educational program called Brain Health PRO. The study had eight older adults, four male and four female, pilot-test the program for a 12-week period and then collected their feedback through virtual focus groups. The results showed that participants had positive experiences with the program's content and interface, reporting that they gained new knowledge and made behavioral changes.

And that brings us to the end of this month's episode. Today’s updates looked at human health from multiple perspectives: from activity within the brain of people with subacute stroke, to the physical structure of the thigh bone at the knee, and finally to the experiences of older adults using an online brain health program. Each offers a different view on the systems that support function and well-being. Thank you for listening to The Mobility Brief.