Movement Neuroscience Research

The focus of Movement Neuroscience research encompasses the integration of movement planning, sensory and perceptual function, and movement execution. We examine factors such as skill level, age, and pathology that affect movement control, as well as the influence of movement behaviors on measures of brain health (e.g., sleep, cognition, neural activity, and social-emotional health). The study of movement neuroscience has significant application to and implications for development, aging, disability, and expert motor performance, with the potential to improve interventions targeting rehabilitation and behavior change practices across the lifespan.

Research Labs

Directed by Dr. Richard van Emmerik, the Motor Control Lab aims to advance our understanding of how perception and action are integrated in performing complex movements in ecologically relevant settings. The team applies principles and techniques from complex and nonlinear dynamical systems to examine movement coordination, stability and adaptability. The research is applied to understanding impairments and changes in adaptive capacity during postural control and locomotion as a function of aging and neurodegenerative disease, in particular Multiple Sclerosis. The lab is also involved in research on soldier performance, where we examine the effects of body load and augmented reality technologies on the ability to perceive and move through complex environments.

The Movement Neuroscience Lab, directed by Assistant Professor Dr. Douglas Martini, seeks to improve the quality of life in neurological populations. To achieve this goal, he and his team aim to identify the neurological mechanisms associated with impaired ability to perform activities of daily living (e.g., locomotion). Ultimately, they want to apply what is learned from their research to develop targeted interventions that will improve the efficacy and individuality of rehabilitation.

Under the leadership of Dr. Christine St. Laurent, the Moove and Snooze Lab explores the science of “sitting less, moving more, sleeping well” (i.e., the interactive influences of 24-hour movement behaviors) on physical, social-emotional, and cognitive health during the developmental years. She and her team do this through 1) observational studies to identify associations of time-use patterns and daily activity profiles on brain and physical health outcomes, 2) experimental studies to explore acute effects of altered time-use patterns or behaviors on cognitive and psycho-social measures, and 3) the design and implementation of behavior change and policy intervention studies delivered in school and childcare settings.