DOCUMENT

6 Headlines What are evoked potentials? Dr Barry Cant helped to establish evoked potentials as a tool to diagnose neurological disorders. Evoked potentials measure electrical activity in certain areas of the brain and spinal cord. They are produced by stimulating specific sensory nerve pathways, showing up any abnormalities in nerve signals reaching the brain. Evoked potentials can indicate problems along nerve pathways that are too subtle to be noticed by the patient or to be visible on an MRI exam. (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/ diagnostics/12393-evoked-potentials) Dr Barry Cant was New Zealand’s first full-time clinical neurophysiologist. He had an international reputation for his work in evoked potentials – electrical activity in the brain in response to light, sound and touch - which he applied to help understand head injury. He was also an advocate for people with epilepsy. His interests and expertise extended beyond the traditional boundaries of medicine into the fields of cybernetics and computing, which in the 1960s was very cutting-edge, and as a result he was responsible for many world- firsts in his field. Dr Cant established Auckland Hospital’s first Clinical Neurophysiology service in 1969. It was in a purpose-built lab and at the time it provided the most comprehensive clinical neurophysiology service in Australasia. The lab performed EEGs, EMGs, nerve conduction studies and evoked potentials. Notably, the department contained the first computer to be used in clinical medicine in New Zealand, and it was the workhorse for much of Barry’s pioneering work in evoked potentials. Purchased with a $10,000 grant from the Golden Kiwi Lotteries Board, it occupied a whole room and had 8K of RAM (Random Access Memory). Cant attended Mount Albert Grammar School in Auckland, and completed his medical intermediate at the University of Auckland and his MBChB at Otago Medical School. Significantly, he interrupted his medical studies for a year to complete a Bachelor of Medical Science degree in neurophysiology supervised by the Professor of Physiology, Archie McIntyre, which triggered his interest in neurology. Several people who later had distinguished careers in neurology and neurophysiology completed the same BMedSc in physiology under either Professor Jack Eccles (Nobel Laureate in medicine and physiology) or Professor Archie McIntyre, who were both world famous neurophysiologists. Remembering Dr Barry Cant a founder In celebration of our Golden Jubilee year, the Neurological Foundation is honouring one of our founders in each edition of Headlines this year. In this issue we remember Dr Barry Cant, who along with Valentine Chapman, Philip Wrightson, John Carman, and Gavin Glasgow, was a driving force behind the establishment of the Neurological Foundation. Without their vision and guidance, we would not be where we are today.