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Neuromechanics of Mobility Lab

Research

Research Area 1: Multi-behavioral neuromuscular control. 

Over a third of community dwelling older adults over the age of 65 and half of older adults with neurological deficits fall annually. The circumstances in which these falls occur consist of many different movement behaviors commonly encountered during daily life, such as standing quietly, getting in or out of a chair, walking, etc. Although this multi-behavioral risk of falls is recognized clinically, our understanding of multi-behavioral neuromuscular control lags behind. In this research area, we specifically focus on identifying changes in multi-behavioral neuromuscular control of balance underlying increased fall risk due to aging, disease, and injury. The goal is to develop data-driven models of multi-behavioral mobility and fall risk that can be used to guide clinical decision making.

Supported by funding from the NIH National Institute of Aging (NIA)

Research Area 2: Neuromuscular modeling and simulation

In this research area, we use musculoskeletal modeling and simulation to test hypotheses regarding the neuromuscular control of movement and make individual-specific predictions to guide rehabilitation and device development. These efforts are motivated by results from Research Area 1 that identify correlational relationships between neuromuscular control and fall risk. We then use musculoskeletal modeling and simulation techniques to identify causal relationships (e.g., does the inability to recruit muscle group X actually limit walking performance?).

Supported by funding from the NSF Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering Program (DARE). 

Research Area 3: Cognitive involvement in balance control. 

When a loss of balance occurs, preventing a fall requires the nervous system to first perceive this loss of balance before an appropriate motor action can be made. The immediate perception-to-action process is primarily governed by automatic pathways. When this automatic response is insufficient, however, higher level cognitive involvement may become critical for preventing a fall. The goal of this research area is to identify the role of cognitive control of balance in individual’s with balance impairments due to aging, disease, and injury.


Supported by funding from the West Virginia Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (WVCTSI) and WVU Byars-Tarnay Biomedical Engineering Endowment.