Laboratory Description
The
Movement Neuroscience
Laboratory is located within the
Kinesiology department at
The Pennsylvania State University. Our
research program integrates biomechanical with neurobiological
principles and techniques to elucidate the neural processes underlying
the planning and execution of multi-joint reaching movements.
The Movement Neuroscience
Laboratory is equipped with specialized,
custom built hardware for recording arm movement, force/torque, and
muscle activation profiles during the performance of virtual-reality
computer game-like tasks. We have three experimental set-ups, including
an air-jet supported friction free manipulandum, a 6-DOF recording
system, and a programmable robot arm manipulandum to apply forces to
the arm during movement.
Research Description
Our current program is split
into three lines of work, focusing on
the neural control of multi-joint reaching movements: 1) The roles of
different sensory modalities in programming and executing reaching
movements. 2) Learning and generalization of performance during
practice under novel dynamic and visuomotor conditions. 3) The neural
foundations of handedness. Handedness provides a natural window into
the normal organization of the motor control system because interlimb
differences in coordination appear to result from neurophysiological,
in contrast to, biomechanical asymmetries. Recent findings from this
laboratory indicate that handedness results from specialized
contributions of each cerebral hemisphere to different aspects of motor
control. Our research employs an interdisciplinary approach to studying
basic mechanisms of motor control, and is ultimately directed toward
effecting improvements in clinical rehabilitation.
All of these research programs
are carried out in neurologically
intact
individuals, as well as in patients with neurological deficits. The
long term goal of our laboratory is to advance our understanding of
motor control and learning mechanisms and to apply this understanding
toward improving clinical neurorehabilitation.
Laboratory Facilities
We have four laboratory
facilities, currently in operation. Two
facilities are located in the main Movement Neuroscience Laboratory in
27 Recreation Building, University Park, and in the Biomechanics
Laboratory Suite, 29 Recreation Building. These facilities include
virtual reality workstations and an MIT MANUS robotic maniupulandum. A
third facility is located in the Neurology Department, Hershey Medical
Center and College of Medicine. The fourth facility is located in Dr.
Kathleen Haaland's laboratory at the New Mexico Veteran's
Administration.
