Research

At the MoNeL, we study how the nervous system controls movement—and how it can be retrained after neurological injury.

Our research focuses on three main goals:

1. Understanding neurophysiological mechanisms underlying impaired motor control and motor learning in individuals with stroke and spinal cord injury.

2. Developing novel rehabilitation tools and training protocols to improve functional motor control, with emphasis on walking and balance.

3. Identifying behavioral and neural adaptations that occur in response to the rehabilitative interventions we design.

To address these goals, we combine behavioral, biomechanical, and neurophysiological analyses using advanced data collection and processing methods. These include behavioral measures of force control and movement, wireless high-density EMG and EEG, and custom computational analyses.

Our lab is equipped with biphasic constant-current stimulators, a pressure-sensitive walkway, an instrumented treadmill, a Biodex isokinetic system, and a specialized perturbation treadmill that delivers controlled balance challenges during standing and walking. Together, these tools allow us to link neural activity, biomechanics, and behavior in real time to better understand—and ultimately restore—human movement.