Motor Control

Motor Control is concerned with understanding how movement skills are controlled, how they develop and how they are learnt. Our research examines issues that relate to both normal skill acquisition, coordination and control in typically developing children, healthy adults and elite performers, in addition to investigating how these processes are affected by factors such as development and ageing, neurological disorders and diseases, injury, and rehabilitation. The ultimate purpose of this work is to generate basic knowledge, from the result of both animal and human studies; that will lead to the development of movement/exercise protocols that yield maximal benefits for healthy development and ageing, motor learning/re-learning and rehabilitation. Our areas of research expertise include:

• Perception and Action
• Upper and Lower limb Coordination
• Neural Control of Movement
• Rehabilitation

This research has received support from REMEDI, White Rose, ESRC, NIHR and the Nuffield in addition to our industrial partners (ETT, Red Ledge, Sound Alert). Visit the Research page to learn about some the current projects in this theme.

Facilities and Resources

The Motor Control laboratories house a combination of equipment which enable the detailed study of human and animal movement. This includes a 9 camera Qualysis motion analysis system, a six sensor XSENS motion analysis, a 3 camera Kinematrix (MIE, Leeds) motion analysis system, a Kistler force platform to measure ground reaction forces; telemetry EMG systems (Kinematrix, Neuraxon), mobile high speed eye tracker to monitor eye movements (ASL).  In addition, there are numerous rooms for interviewing and running focus groups. 

Research Highlights

Courtine G, Gerasimenko Y, van den Brand R, Yew A, Musienko P, Zhong H, Song B, Ao Y, Ichiyama RM, Lavrov I, Roy RR, Sofroniew MV, Edgerton VR. Transformation of nonfunctional spinal circuits into functional states after the loss of brain input. Nature Neuroscience 12:1333-1342, 2009.

Maier IC, Ichiyama RM, Courtine G, Schnell L, Lavrov I, Edgerton VR, Schwab ME. Differential effects of anti-Nogo-A antibody treatment and treadmill training in rats with incomplete spinal cord injury. Brain 132:1426-1440, 2009.

Ichiyama RM, Courtine G, Gerasimenko YP, Yang GJ, van den Brand R, Lavrov IA, Zhong H, Roy RR, Edgerton VR. Step training reinforces specific spinal locomotor circuitry in adult spinal rats. 28:7370-7375, 2008.

Astill SL, Utley A. Two-handed catching in children with developmental coordination disorder. Motor Control 10:109-124, 2006.