Neuromuscular Control of Movement Laboratory
Marquette University
What Do We Study?
The research team studies how neural circuits in the brain and spinal cord contribute to impaired limb movement in people with stroke. We use this knowledge to develop novel strategies for improving movement in the stroke population. Our emphasis is on the locomotor-like movements of the lower limbs.
Major Accomplishments
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Pedaling during fMRI
Our team was the first to use fMRI to examine human brain activation during locomotor-like movements of the lower limbs. We designed, fabricated, and tested a pedaling device that sits on the end of on fMRI scanner bed. Check out these articles to see our “bike” and learn how we control head motion during pedaling.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=schindler-ivens+AND+mehta
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Brain Activation Post-Stroke
We have used our fMRI-compatible “bike” to examine brain activation during pedaling in people with stroke. We learned that people with stroke activate a smaller volume of brain tissue during pedaling than age-matched controls. Reduced brain activation may be related to impaired global network function of the brain and the clinical phenomenon of compensation. You can read more about these discoveries in our published articles.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=schindler-ivens+AND+and+promjunyakul
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New Rehabilitation Techniques
Our team has developed a novel training strategy to encourage use of the paretic lower limb while also retraining interlimb coordination. We are testing its effects now and have a patent pending on the new technology.
https://patents.google.com/patent/US20190001184A1/en?inventor=schindler-ivens&oq=schindler-ivens
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Other Contributions to Science
We have made several other contributions to understanding neural control of leg movement after stroke. Click on this link to follow for a more complete list of our contributions to science.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=schindler-ivens