Regenerative Rehabilitation to Restore Mitochondrial Flux and Motor Function after Volumetric Muscle Loss
Jarrod Call, Ph.D.
Associate professor
Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
University of Georgia
Monday, April 20 at 4:00 pm | 405 Walter Library
Abstract: Volumetric muscle loss (VML) represents a catastrophic musculoskeletal injury characterized by the frank loss of skeletal muscle tissue, resulting in permanent deficits in contractile strength and metabolic homeostasis. While traditional physical therapy is the standard of care, it often fails to achieve full functional recovery because the remaining musculature suffers from a bottleneck in adaptive capacity, i.e., the muscle is simply unable to respond to the mechanical cues of exercise. This talk introduces the framework of Regenerative Rehabilitation, an interdisciplinary approach that synergizes regenerative medicine with physical rehabilitation to maximize the intrinsic plasticity of injured muscle. I will begin by establishing the fundamentals of cellular bioenergetics, specifically how mitochondrial signaling pathways (such as the PGC−1α axis) coordinate oxidative capacity to match the mechanical workloads of movement. I will then highlight the pathological breakdown that occurs following VML, where mitochondrial dysfunction and disrupted redox signaling prevent the remaining muscle from adapting to rehabilitative loading. Finally, I will discuss our laboratory's current research into therapeutic strategies designed to restore the adaptive capacity of the muscle. By fixing the metabolic deficit, we aim to provide a physiological foundation upon which physical rehabilitation can successfully restore long-term motor function and clinical movement for patients.
Do Somatosensory Deficits Underlie Developmental Coordination Disorder and Developmental Language Disorder?
Yu-Ting Tseng, Ph.D.
Associate professor
School of Kinesiology
University of Minnesota
Monday, March 16 at 4:00 pm | 405 Walter Library
Abstract: Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) are often described as
clumsy or poorly coordinated, yet the sensory foundations underlying their motor difficulties remain underexplored. This talk examines whether somatosensory processing deficits, spanning proprioception, haptic perception, and cortical responses measured by event-related potentials (ERP), represent a core but underrecognized feature of DCD. I will present evidence from a series of behavioral and neurophysiological studies, along with intervention findings, suggesting that enhancing somatosensory input can improve motor coordination. Notably, comparable deficits are also observed in children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), raising the possibility of shared somatosensory mechanisms across neurodevelopmental conditions.
Using Computer Vision to Augment Clinical Assessment of Bilateral Movements in Stroke and Cerebral Palsy
Rachel Hawe , Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Biomechanics and Neuromotor Control
School of Kinesiology
University of Minnesota
Monday, February 16 at 4:00 pm | 405 Walter Library
Abstract: Computer vision based human pose estimation is making motion capture clinically feasible even with limited equipment. This has the potential to bring quantitative metrics to traditionally subjective clinical assessments of motor impairments in neurologic populations including stroke and cerebral palsy. In this talk I will discuss how we are using computer vision for bilateral movement assessment across the lifespan. First, I will present data on bilateral reaching movements in a normative population across the lifespan using computer vision and an augmented reality game, as well as initial results in clinical populations. Second, I will share how we are using computer vision to assess functional bilateral movements in both adults with stroke and children with unilateral cerebral palsy. I will also discuss opportunities and challenges with using computer vision to assess the upper extremities.
Laryngeal Diadochokinesis: New Windows into Vocal Exercise, Fatigue, and Biomechanics
Christopher Apfelbach, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences Department;
University of Minnesota
Monday, November 17 at 4:00 pm | 405 Walter Library
Abstract: Diadochokinesis (DDK), the ability to produce rapid, alternating movements, has long been used for differential diagnosis of cerebellar ataxia, MS, ALS, and other neuromuscular lesions. When these conditions affect the corticobulbar tract, impairments in oral diadochokinesis (the ability to produce the stop consonants /p/, /t/, or /k/ in rapid sequence) or laryngeal diadochokinesis (the ability to produce the glottal syllables "huh" or "uh") often follow. This presentation will discuss advances in the use of laryngeal diadochokinesis as an exercise stimulus, examining its potential utility to induce training adaptations or fatigue in the muscles of the vocal and respiratory tracts, quantify decline in neurodegenerative disease, and identify phenotypical responses to different types, durations, and intensities of vocal demand.
Acute Hypotensive and Psychological Effects of High-Resistance Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training
Favian Morales, M.S. Student
School of Kinesiology, Integrative Cardiovascular and Exercise Physiology Laboratory
University of Minnesota
Monday, October 20 at 4:00 pm | 405 Walter Library
Abstract: Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide and prevalence rises as populations age and lifestyle-related risk factors increase. Among these risks, hypertension is the most prevalent and modifiable factor, yet many individuals struggle to control their blood pressure due to barriers that limit participation in traditional exercise. Inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) is a novel and time-efficient intervention in which individuals perform resisted inhalations against a handheld device to strengthen respiratory muscles in only a few minutes per day. While chronic IMST has been shown to lower blood pressure, the acute hypotensive and psychological responses to IMST, and the influence of time of day on these effects, are not well understood. To address this gap, our laboratory is conducting a randomized crossover study in young, healthy adults comparing high-resistance IMST (30 resisted breaths at 75% maximal inspiratory pressure) with time-matched seated rest in both morning and evening sessions. Blood pressure is measured before, immediately after, and during recovery, while validated questionnaires assess stress, anxiety, mood, and equanimity. Preliminary data collection is underway. In this talk, I will present the study design, rationale, and preliminary findings, and discuss how IMST may offer a holistic and accessible approach to cardiovascular disease prevention.
Sensory Stimulation Affects Motor Symptoms: Treating Cervical Dystonia with Vibration
Jason Kang, Ph.D. Student
School of Kinesiology, Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory
University of Minnesota
Monday, March 17 at 4:00 pm | 405 Walter Library
Abstract: Cervical dystonia (CD) is a movement disorder characterized by abnormal head postures, tremors, and pain. While traditional treatments such as Botox injections and deep brain stimulation can be effective, they are often expensive and not well-tolerated by all patients. Vibrotactile stimulation (VTS) has emerged as a promising non-invasive alternative, modulating sensorimotor processing via the cerebello-basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical network. I will report findings from a multicenter study involving 67 CD patients, evaluating the effects of VTS on perceived pain and head posture. The majority of participants experienced significant reductions in pain and improvements in head posture. Additionally, I will present findings of a recent case study, where we observed changes in neuronal activity within the Globus Pallidus Internus (GPi) of the basal ganglia in one patient. These neuronal alterations correlated with reductions in cervical muscle EMG activity and improvements in head posture, providing insight into the potential mechanisms underlying VTS effects.
Cortical mechanisms of gait and balance with aging and after stroke
Jacqueline Palmer, PT, DPT, Ph.D.
Medical School
University of Minnesota
Monday, February 17 at 4:00 pm | 405 Walter Library
Abstract: Balance impairments in older adults and after stroke are common but poorly understood. Stiffer biomechanical strategies for balance control are also common in older adults and after stroke, contributing to lower resilience to postural perturbations and increased fall risk. After stroke, an impaired ability to utilize the paretic leg rapidly and effectively after stroke may bias compensatory utilization of the nonparetic leg for balance control. Our laboratory measures evoked cortical responses with electroencephalography (EEG) during standing balance reactions. We have found evidence that older adults increase reliance on the cerebral cortex for postural stability, and those with lower balance ability show the greatest cortical reliance. Thus, the inability of older individuals to engage the cerebral cortex during balance recovery could contribute to balance deficits in the presence of a brain lesion affecting cortical and subcortical brain regions, such as stroke. Supporting this notion, our results show that when neurocompensatory strategies break down, people after stroke increase recruitment of cortical activity during balance recovery responses. In this talk, I will share published and preliminary findings from our laboratory and our collaborators showing that distinct cortical activity signatures of balance control reflect different aspects of cognitive-motor interactions in aging and after stroke.
Kinesiology on the Waves
Tom Stoffregen, Ph.D.
School of Kinesiology,
University of Minnesota
Monday, December 16 at 4:00 pm, 2024 | 402 Walter Library
They're bright but can't Move: Improving motor outcomes in children with developmental coordination disorder in the real world
Emmanuel Bonney, Ph.D.
School of Kinesiology, Institute of Child Development
University of Minnesota
Monday, November 18 at 4:00 pm, 2024 | 405 Walter Library
Should dyad practice become a tool in robotic neurorehabilitation?
School of Kinesiology, Human Sensorimotor Control Laboratory
University of Minnesota
Monday, October 21 at 4:00 pm, 2024 | 405 Walter Library
“It’s the Wrong Hand”. Why treat the good hand in Stroke Patients?
Robert L. Sainburg, Ph.D. OTR
Penn State University
Monday, September 30 at 4:00 pm, 2024 | 405 Walter Library
Hand biomechanics and rehabilitation
Lind Hall 325
Imaging the cerebellar nuclei in ataxia
Dagmar Timmann
Professor, Department of Experimental Neurology University of Duisburg-Essen
Friday, November 18, 2022, at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
109 Cooke Hall
Development and testing of wearable technologies for improving goal-directed movement after stroke
Robert Scheidt
Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Marquette University
Thursday, August 25, 2022, at 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
402 Walter Library
Robotics for treating stroke: From neurosurgery to neurorehabilitation, to neuroprosthetics
Vitor Mendes Pereira
Director, Endovascular Research and Innovation
St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto
Lorenzo Masia
Professor, Medical Technology
Heidelberg University
David Reinkensmeyer
Professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering; Anatomy & Neurobiology
University of California at Irvine
Riki Banerjee
Vice President, R&D Synchron
December 9, 2021 at 11-13:00h CST (Zoom)
Using Clinical Data to Drive Clinical Practice: Bringing Practice Change to Scale
Patricia L. Scheets
Vice President of Quality and Clinical Outcomes
Infinity Rehab
November 19, 2021, 1-2 pm
Phillips Wangensteen Building (PWB) Room 2-400
Neuroplasticity and Neuromodulation after Severe Stroke: Teasing Out the Unknowns
Lumy Sawaki
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
CHRH SCI Endowed Chair
College of Medicine, University of Kentucky
April 22, 2019
Leading with Cancer Rehabilitation to Improve Survivorship Care
Nicole Stout
CEO, 3e Services
Consultant
Office of Strategic Research, Dept of Rehabilitation Medicine
National Institutes of Health
November 16, 2018
Mitigating Biomechanical Analyses of Human Movement and the Implications for Clinical Interventions
Richard Neptune
Department Chair and Professor
John T. MacGuire Professorship in Mechanical Engineering
University of Texas, Austin
April 25, 2018
Improvement of Gait and Balance Function in Patients with Peripheral Neuropathy Using a Wearable Sensory Prosthesis
Lars Oddsson
Faculty, Technology Leadership Institute, U of M
President & Co-Founder, RX Function Inc.
October 23, 2017
The cerebellum and learning – focus on eyeblink conditioning in humans
Dagmar Timmann
Associate Professor of Experimental Neurology
Department of Neurology
University Clinic Essen, Germany
June 5, 2017