Human Motor Control
Neural Control of Movements in NHPs
“Our research interest is to understand the behavioural, neural, and mechanical aspects of voluntary motor function. We use optimal control theory as a framework to interpret voluntary control which emphasizes the importance of sensory feedback for controlling motor actions. Our studies use the Kinarm robot we invented to quantify planar limb movements. We use small disturbances (usually mechanical, but visual sometimes) to observe how subjects make corrective responses to attain behavioural goals. Effectively, these disturbances allow us to probe the motor circuits to understand the underlying control processes. Most studies quantify changes in muscle electromyographic activity to observe the exact timing when the motor system reflects different functional processes. This research is supported by a grant from NSERC.”
Christiansen, A., Scythes, M., Ritsma, B. R., Scott, S. H., & DePaul, V. (2022). Art skill-based rehabilitation training for upper limb sensorimotor recovery post-stroke: A feasibility study. Clinical Rehabilitation, 02692155221105586. https://doi.org/10.1177/02692155221105586
Lowrey, C. R., Dukelow, S. P., Bagg, S. D., Ritsma, B., & Scott, S. H. (2022). Impairments in Cognitive Control Using a Reverse Visually Guided Reaching Task Following Stroke. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 36(7), 449–460. https://doi.org/10.1177/15459683221100510