This Brain Awareness Week, the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) is shining a light on fresh approaches to improving brain health, and one of them comes with a wagging tail. Meet Maple, a four-year-old Golden Retriever who’s not just a good boy but a key player in cutting-edge research aimed at reducing anxiety during MRI scans.

Maple is helping HMRI’s Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, by exploring how dog-assisted interventions can help patients manage stress in medical settings. A team of researchers from the University of Newcastle including Caroline Faucher, Dr Anna Behler, Dr Renate Thienel, together with research coordinator Sarah Sanders and HMRI radiographer Shiami Luchow, are paving the way for new, evidence-based therapies that could transform how we approach a patient’s autonomic stress response.

Maple’s role in research

Maple, a graduate of Therapy Dogs Australia, is no ordinary pup. Alongside Caroline, he forms a human-canine clinical team that brings comfort and calm to stressful situations. Their current focus is helping participants of the Australian Dementia Network study feel more at ease during MRI scans.

“Undergoing an MRI can be incredibly stressful for many people,” explains Caroline. “This anxiety can affect the quality of the scan or even prevent someone from going through with it altogether. We’re investigating whether the presence of a therapy dog like Maple can help reduce that stress.”

Supported by the HMRI Brain Neuromodulation Research program, the pilot study builds on earlier research suggesting that dog-assisted interventions can lower stress biomarkers like cortisol levels, blood pressure and heart rate. While previous studies have focused on paediatric patients, HMRI’s research is expanding to include older populations and more objective measures of stress response.

Despite the growing popularity of dog-assisted interventions, there’s still a lack of high-quality, standardised research in the field. HMRI’s systematic review of existing studies highlights the potential of dog-assisted interventions, but also underscores the need for more rigorous protocols.

“The evidence so far is promising, but we need more robust studies to fully understand how dog-assisted therapy works and how it can be applied in different clinical settings,” says Caroline. “Our goal is to develop standardised protocols that can be used in hospitals, clinics and beyond.”

HMRI’s Imaging centre is at the forefront of bringing dog-assisted interventions into medical care.
Facility manager Associate Professor Saad Ramadan and Head of the Systems Neuroscience Research Group, Professor Michael Breakspear, were among the first to support having a dog to ease participants before an MRI scan.
To bring the calming effects of a therapy dog to a wider range of patients and clinical settings, the aim of thee study team is to secure funding for larger-scale studies and advocate for the adoption of dog-assisted interventions in health care.

Shining a light on brain health each March 

Brain Awareness Week, founded by the Dana Foundation in 1996, is a global campaign dedicated to advancing brain research and promoting brain health. With more than 1,000 known disorders of the brain and nervous system, ranging from dementia to chronic pain, the need for fresh treatments has never been greater.

 “Brain Awareness Week is a fantastic opportunity to get the word out about the important work we’re doing at HMRI. Our research is about finding new ways to improve quality of life for people living with these conditions, and dog-assisted therapy is one promising avenue we’re exploring,” says Caroline.

Advancing brain health at HMRI

HMRI’s Brain Neuromodulation Research Program, led by Professor Brett Graham, is dedicated to improving the understanding of brain and nerve conditions while developing next-generation therapies.

With over 1,000 known nervous system disorders, including dementia, chronic pain, and psychiatric conditions, these illnesses lead to more hospitalisations than any other disease group.

HMRI researchers, from the University of Newcastle and Hunter New England Local Health District use innovative neuromodulation techniques to target nerve activity and enhance treatment outcomes. By uniting experts across neuroscience, engineering, and medicine, the program is transforming brain health and pioneering more effective, personalised therapies to improve the lives of Australians affected by neurological conditions.

Learn more about how the Brain Neuromodulation Research Program is taking healthy further here.