SMPP Seminars

Fri, Jan 30, 12-1pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map )

Speaker: Mehdi Mirbagheri, PhD (SMPP Lab Seminar)

The title/abstract will follow soon. 

Wed, Jan 21, 12-1pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map )

Speaker: Karl Rosengren, PhD

Dr. Rosengren is a former professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), and now a professor at Northwestern University.

The title/abstract will follow soon.

Fri, Jan 16, 12-1pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

Speaker: Davide Piovesan, PhD (SMPP Postdoc Seminar)

The title/abstract will follow soon.

Fri, Jan 9, 12-1pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

Speaker: Tasos Karakostas, MPT, PhD

Title: Surface electromyography: A tool towards the assessment of human motion

Abstract: Three-dimensional human motion analysis includes the kinematic monitoring of body segments in space. Concurrently, for studies investigating such activities as walking or standing that involve the interface of the body with the ground, reaction forces are recorded to monitor the overall gravitational interaction of the body with the ground. Combination of these two components of motion allows the estimation of joint moments and joint reaction forces during the activity of interest. However, while the kinematic and kinetic analysis of human motion can provide a description of what a person does, they do not provide an explanation about why the person moves in a certain way.

Electromyography can provide some insights about the "why" underlying human motion. Consequently, during this seminar the role of electromyography, and especially that of surface electromyography will be discussed as an additional tool toward the assessment of human movement. Each contributing dimension of the electromyogram toward the understanding of human motion will be supported by practical examples based on previous experiences.

Dr. Karakostas is a manager at the Motion Analysis Center, Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

http://www.childrensmemorial.org/depts/motionanalysis/staff.aspx (opens new window)

Host: Hyung-Soon Park

Wed, Jan 7, 12-1pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

Immigration Issues (presentation by a legal firm)

The following individuals from the law firm Kempster Keller Lenz-Calvo will give a presentation on Non-Immigrant and Permanent Resident Options for RIC employees/candidates:
Martina Keller - partner
Theresa Corcoran - partner
Cheryl Lenz-Calvo - partner
David Kucinskas - legal assistant 

Tues, Jan 6, 9-10am

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

Postdoc fellowship grant meeting

SMPP postdoctoral fellows will present their grant proposals covering specific aims, design and key methods (5 minute presentation plus 5 minutes discussion per proposal).

The main purpose of the meeting is to provide feedback on postdoc grants from a non-expert audience, and give postdocs an opportunity to defend their proposed study.

Fri, Dec 19, 12-1pm   THIS IS BEING RESCHEDULED TO DUE WEATHER

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

The Neuro-Locomotion Lab

Speaker: T. George Hornby, PhD, PT

Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Illinois at Chicago Research Scientist, SMPP, RIC

Title:  Repeated, Volitional, Fatiguing Contractions in Human SCI:

General Findings, Potential Mechanisms, and Future Work or "I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE YELLING ABOUT!!!!"

Abstract: In this talk, we will discuss some of the work performed on patients with motor incomplete SCI to assess patterns of neuromuscular fatigue during repeated, maximal effort, isometric contractions of the knee extensors.  Preliminary studies demonstrated decreased volitional fatigue, but rather a "warm-up" of maximal torques similar to that shown with spastic motor behaviors. Further preliminary data provide some evidence that this behavior could be utilized in the clinical setting to minimize strength loss following SCI.

Director: George Hornby

Thu, Dec 18, 2-3pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map )

Speaker: Francis Suh, PhD

Bionics Research Team, Future Fusion Technology Laboratory, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, Korea & Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA

Title: Soft Tissue Biomechanics in Orthopaedics and Ophthalmology

Abstract: Dysfunction of human body organ can have debilitating consequences in the quality of person’s daily life.  For example, arthritis, a disease of dysfunctional articular cartilage, is the leading cause of the musculoskeletal disabilities, in particular, for elderly population.  Arthritis is a multi-factorial pathological condition of diarthrodial joint, which is generally manifested by the loss of structural integrity of articular cartilage as a mechanical bearing element in the joint. Unlike other vascular soft tissues, articular cartilage has little ability for spontaneous repair.  Thus, once damaged, it usually embarks vicious catabolic chain reactions, which leads to a total loss of joint mobility.  Another example is glaucoma, a disease of dysfunctional optic nerve head of eye, which is one of the three leading causes of blindness in the U.S. We hypothesize that the mechanical properties of peripapillary and posterior sclera are altered during the disease and play a significant role in the development and progression of glaucomatous damage to the neural and connective tissues within the optic nerve head.

I will present how a basic analytical model can be developed and applied to understand the normal and pathological behaviors of articular cartilage and posterior scleral tissues.  A multi-fauceted approach, including analytical, computational, and experimental methods, will be presented as the validation process of the model.  Also shown are the applications of such models to understand the core features of the pathological processes of the dysfunctional organs.  After all, this approach will help us to develop a means to prevent or repair the damaged organs.

Fri, Dec 5, 12-1pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map )

Speaker: Sangeetha Madhavan & Jon Shemmell

Title: Detecting ipsilateral connectivity from motor cortex to lower limb spinal motoneurons, and reorganizing cortical motor maps using paired electrical stimulation.

These two "impossible" tasks are currently being conducted in the Neuralplasticity Laboratory.

Sangeetha Madhavan and Jonathan Shemmell will describe the challenges and potential rewards of these two pioneering techniques.The Neuralplasticity Lab Presentation (Director: James Stinear)

Mon, Dec 1, 2-3pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map )

SMPP Graduate Student Seminar: Zachary Danziger

Title: Developing Learning Algorithms for Human-Machine Interfaces

Abstract: Human-machine interfaces (HMI) must reconcile two concurrent learners in a high dimensional signal space: the person learning to use the interface, and the machine learning algorithm. The goal of these studies is to create and examine machine learning algorithms that adapt in a controlled and cadenced way to foster a harmonious learning environment between the user and the controlled device. To evaluate these algorithms we have developed a simple experimental framework.

Non-familiar finger motions, captured by a data glove, act as control signals to a virtual planar manipulator that is a stand-in for traditional HMIs. This research addresses 1) what sufficient action a machine learner must take to achieve a desired level of user proficiency with the HMI system, 2) what the structure of that algorithm should be, 3) what feedback the user requires to develop a representation of the system and 4) how we can investigate the optimal level of adaptation of the algorithm to the user.

Tue, Nov 25, 3-4pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

The SMPP - Society for Neuroscience Review II

Members of SMPP will present interesting work that they learned at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Fri, Nov 21,  12-1pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

Society for Neuroscience Review

Members of SMPP will present interesting work that they learned at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

Thu,  Nov 20, 3–4pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

Peter Konig, PhD 

Title: Integration of information in gaze control

Abstract: How do different sources of information arising from different modalities interact to control where we look? To address this question with respect to real-world operational conditions we presented natural scenes to human subjects in a variety of conditions and measure subjects' eye-movements. Using quantitative measures we find that (1) the influence of top-down signals is systematically stronger than that of spatial biases, which in turn is stronger than bottom-up signals; (2) the information is optimally integrated along a scanning trajectory; (3) the empirical saliency is combined linearly; (4) the action of top-down information can not in general be explained by a modulation of bottom-up signals. (5) In spite of these constraints, a large scale combination of features in a bottom-up driven model can explain a significant part of the variability of eye movements as measures by an ROC analysis (AUC=0.75).

*Professor Konig is the director of the Neurobiology Lab at the Institute of Cognitive Science at the University of Osnabruck in Germany. He is also Dr. Koerding's PhD advisor.

Thu, Nov 13, 10–11am

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

Adrienne Harvey, PhD 

Title: Measuring mobility in the motion analysis centre: the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) and beyond.

This presentation will describe the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) and report on investigations into its reliability and validity. Its relevance in the context of measuring and classifying function for children with gait disorders will be covered. The package of tools including the FMS, two dimensional video gait assessment and other measures of body functions and structures, activities and participation that are used in the Hugh Williamson Gait Laboratory will be illustrated.

Adrienne Harvey worked in the Hugh Williamson Gait Laboratory, housed in the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, with Kerr Graham for 10 years.

Her PhD involved validating the functional mobility scale, an outcome measurement tool that measures change in assistance required for children with CP. It is a very simple effective tool now utilized in CP.  She is now at McMaster University to further her work in functional and mobility outcomes.

Host: Deb Gaebler   

Fri, Oct 31, 1-2pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

Lanitia Gorman, PhD, Postdoctoral candidate

Title: Effects of Vibration on Spinal Circuitry Related to Spasticity and Walking Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts communication between the brain and spinal cord resulting in motor dysfunction.

In addition to the damage to descending pathways related to voluntary motor control, the involvement of pathways associated with activation of the locomotor central pattern generator and the modulation of spinal reflexes contributes to impaired walking function. Vibration may activate neural circuits that mimic lost supraspinal input, thereby improving walking function. Three experiments were performed to assess the effects of vibration on spinal reflex activity, spinal locomotor-generating circuitry, and walking function. Experiment 1 demonstrated that localized leg vibration, known to elicit air-stepping responses non-disabled (ND) individuals, elicits similar responses in individuals with chronic SCI. However, the responses were more consistent and more robust in ND individuals when compared to responses of individuals with SCI. In those with SCI, the consistency and robustness of the response was not influence by severity of injury or by locomotor training. Experiment 2 demonstrated that, in individuals with SCI, a 12-session intervention of whole-body vibration (WBV) reduces quadriceps spasticity as measured by the excitability of the spinal stretch reflex. The reduction in spasticity persisted for several days and was evident both in individuals who habitually took oral antispastic agents and those who did not. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the 12-session WBV intervention was associated with significant increases in walking speed, cadence, step length, and consistency of hip-knee intralimb coordination. There was no change in swing phase dorsiflexion angle. Increases in cadence and stronger-leg step length were correlated with improvements in walking speed. These results suggest that WBV may represent an approach to decreasing spasticity, and may be useful for individuals in whom spasticity interferes with function. Furthermore, vibration appears to have a beneficial effect on walking function, perhaps by influencing spinal locomotor-generating circuitry.

Fri, Oct 24, 12-1pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

Silvia Blemker, PhD

Title: Modeling muscle at multiple length scales with application to analyzing muscle design, injury, and disease Skeletal muscle has a beautiful hierarchical structure that enables thousands of muscle cells to work in concert and actuate movement.

In my presentation, I will describe our computational framework for analyzing muscle structure and function at multiple levels of this hierarchy, including fibers, fascicles, and whole muscle. The framework combines modeling efforts in several areas, including the development of a constitutive model for describing the nonlinear, active, anisotropic behavior of muscle tissue, the application of micromechanical modeling methods for deriving muscle tissue properties, and the implementation of image-based modeling techniques for creating subject-specific muscle models. This modeling framework can be used to explore how the shape and arrangement of muscle fibers affects muscle function to a level of detail that has not been possible in the past and therefore provides a new paradigm for analyzing muscle form and function. For example, we are creating models to (i) understand how complex features of fiber & fascicle structure affect muscle function, (ii) explore the effects of internal muscle morphology on hamstring strain injuries, and (iii) characterize the mechanical effects of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

Web: http://www.mae.virginia.edu/muscle (opens new window)

Fri, Oct 17, 12-1pm

RIC, Room 1301 (map)

The Sitting Biomechanics Lab Director: Mohsen Makhsous Presenter: Sam Perlmutter (PhD student) 

Title: Sitting Balance and Trunk Control in Hemiparetic Stroke There is a lack of research regarding how the trunk is affected in post-stroke individuals.

Proper trunk control is necessary for unsupported sitting, standing, sit to stand, walking and resisting perturbation. Since sitting is the first upright posture restored post-stroke and clinical measures of sitting balance have shown to be some of the highest predictors of functional performance, we investigated unsupported sitting in chronic stroke survivors using force platform and motion analysis hardware. It was our aim to look at both static and dynamic tasks in the sitting position using quantitative methodology.