Research: Cognitive Motor Neuroscience
The Cognitive Motor Neuroscience Laboratory, composed of 9 faculty members, post-docs, and graduate students, focuses on behavioral, neural, mechanical, and higher-level mechanisms underlying the selection, planning, learning, initiation, and execution of movement. Using an interdisciplinary approach, these processes are studied from infancy to the end of the lifespan, and in health and disease. Research programs in the laboratory include adaptive sensorimotor control and integration, exercise psychophysiology, perceptual motor development, movement disorders, computational motor neuroscience, smart neuroprosthetics, and neuromechanics. Our research programs are funded by National Institute(s) of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Army Research Office (ARO), and other industrial companies. The Laboratory also has a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement in place with the Army Research Laboratory (Human Research and Engineering Directorate) located at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Aberdeen, MD.
Click here to download the Cognitive Motor Neuroscience Brochure.
Faculty Research Interests:
Clark, Jane
Professor and Dean, Kinesiology / Office of the Dean
Research Focus : Developmental Motor Control, Motor Development, Movement Disorders
Research Summary : Jane E. Clark was appointed dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Health on July 1, 2012. She is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and previously served as chair of that department for ten years. Her work focuses on understanding the development of movement control and coordination in motor skills. Using a dynamic systems approach, Dr. Clark and her colleagues have demonstrated that the newly walking infants limbs, like those of the adult walker, act like coupled nonlinear limit cycle oscillators at both the intralimb and interlimb levels of coordination. Her current research examines the role of sensory information in the development of upright posture and locomotion in infants.
Gentili, Rodolphe
Research Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
(301) 405-2490
2144 E SPH Bldg.
Research Focus : Computational Motor Neuroscience, Motor Control, Motor Learning, Neural Modeling
Research Summary : Dr. Gentili's research focuses on the investigation of functional non-invasive brain biomarkers, which assess the level of cognitive-motor performance and learning when humans interact with new dynamics or kinematics tools. Another aspect of his research is to develop bio-inspired control systems able to learn to manipulate anthropomorphic robot limbs (arm/finger), while at the same time incorporating the main biomechanical features of human movement. These two research fields contribute to the development of next generation smart prosthetics.
Hatfield, Bradley
Professor & Chair, Kinesiology
Research Focus : Aging, Exercise Psychophysiology, Exercise and Genomics, Sport Psychology
Research Summary : Dr. Hatfield and his research team investigate exercise and sport psychology issues from a cognitive neuroscience or biological psychology perspective. Their research focuses on 1) health-related issues such as the effect of exercise on the aging brain and the protective effects of physical activity on brain processes that underlie memory and executive function. An important question is whether the neurobiological benefits of exercise are more prominent in those individuals who are genetically at risk for dementia and Alzheimer's disease. The research team also addresses 2) issues related to human performance in order to understand critical brain processes underlying superior cognitive-motor performance, how emotion alters the brain and the quality of performance, and the management of stress in high-performance individuals such as competitive athletes and specialized military personnel.
Hwang, Sung Jae
Post Doc, Kinesiology
Research Focus : Biomechanics, Motor Control, Movement Disorders
Introduction : My research focuses on multisensory integration and characterizing dynamic human postural control by multiple input stimuli. This research can provide the most effective methods to discern the integration of sensory information by the central nervous system.
Cognitive Motor Neuroscience Lab (COGMO Lab)
Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program (NACS)
Jeka, John J.
Professor, Kinesiology
Research Focus : Computational Motor Neuroscience, Motor Control, Movement Disorders, Sensorimotor Integration
Research Summary : In my laboratory, we study how the brain combines sensory information about the environment and one's own body movement to better understand patient populations with neurological disease and injury that lead to balance problems.
Kiemel, Tim
Research Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
Research Focus : Computational Motor Neuroscience, Computational Neuroscience, Motor Control, Sensorimotor Integration
Introduction : My research focuses on the neural control of movement. The behaviors I study include walking and the postural control of standing in humans and swimming in lampreys. My emphasis is on system-level models that illuminate key aspects of neural control and the use of empirical data to develop and test such models.
Miller, Ross
Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
Oliveira, Marcio
Assistant Dean for Educational Innovation, Office of the Dean
Research Focus : Motor Control, Motor Development, Movement Disorders
Research Summary : Dr. Oliveira's research seeks to characterize the developmental process of finger force control that aims to understand changes in the neuromechanical variables as motor control develops.
Shim, Jae Kun
Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
Research Focus : Biomechanics
Research Summary : Our research is currently focused on biomechanics and motor control of (1) hand and digits and (2) persons with lower extremity amputations as well as their applications to medicine, rehabilitation, and ergonomics. We are especially interested in understanding the CNS control mechanism for motor redundancy, developments of motor functions in typically developing children as well as children with developmental coordination disorder, developmental changes and intervention & adaptation of motor functions in elderly persons and the persons with neurological/genetic disorders or stroke, and physiological and biomechanical risk and interventions of persons with lower extremity amputations. We use techniques of biomechanics, motor control, neurophysiology, and exercise physiology: kinematic analysis using motion capture systems, kinetic/dynamic analysis, neuromuscular training, TMS, EMG, MEG, MRI, optic fiber Bragg grading (FBG) force sensors, 6-D kinetic pen, cardiovascular exercise, neuromuscular training, epidemiology, etc.
Neuromechanics Laboratory (NML)
Fischell Department of BIoengineering Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science (UM Medical School)
Smith, J Carson
Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
Research Focus : Aging, Exercise Intervention, Exercise Psychophysiology, Physical Activity Intervention
Research Summary : Dr. Smith is focused on understanding how exercise and physical activity affect human brain function and mental health. Dr. Smith's investigations use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) to examine brain function in people at risk for Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Smith, his team of investigators, and collaborators are interested in the potential efficacy for exercise to affect brain function and memory in healthy older adults at genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease, as well as in patients diagnosed with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The ultimate goal is to provide evidence for exercise to delay conversion to Alzheimer's disease and protect against age-related cognitive decline. In addition, Dr. Smith examines how acute and chronic exercise or physical activity may alter emotional reactivity, attention allocation, and cognitive function among patients with anxiety and/or depressive mood disorders. Visit http://www.exerciseforbrainhealth.com/ for more info.
Exercise for Brain Health Laboratory
Maryland Neuroimaging Center; Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program; Women's Health Initiative Study
Vacante , Dennis
Instructor, Adjunct Faculty, Kinesiology
Research Focus : Motor Development
Research Summary : Dennis Vacante, NBCT/CAPE is a National Board Certified Teacher/Certified in Adapted Physical Education. He is also a Regional Itinerant Liaison for Adapted Physical Education for Prince George's County Public School system. He has taught Adapted Physical Education for 37 years. He worked 28 years teaching elementary students who have orthopedic impairments. He presently works with high school students who have intellectual disabilities and with elementary students who have autism spectrum disorders. Besides teaching the Adapted Physical Education course (Knes-333) Dennis is the coordinator of the Children's Developmental Clinic which services 75-85 children with various disabilities in the areas of motor development, language, social skills, and reading. Students interested in volunteering for the clinic which runs each Saturday morning in the School of Public Health Building can find more information on our website: http://www.sph.umd.edu/KNES/cdc/ The Children's Developmental Clinic will begin spring training in the matted gym (ground floor of School of Public Health Bldg.) at 8:30 am on Saturday, February 2, 2013 (casual dress for participation in lively fun activities). Clinic will run every Saturday morning through April 20th with no Clinic on March 23rd (UMD Spring Break). Clinician volunteers will gain experiential knowledge, learning how to work with children with disabilities. Students can also receive college credit for this service/study experience. Every clinician receives a free tee shirt and a certificate verifying volunteer service hours. Most of all, each volunteer will experience the satisfaction of helping a child who has special needs.
Zimmerman, Jo
Instructor, Kinesiology
Research Focus : Aging, Exercise Psychophysiology, Exercise and Genomics, Sport Psychology
Research Summary : Jo Zimmerman is an instructor in the Department of Kinesiology. She earned her undergraduate and master's degrees from George Mason University, and has held the ACSM Health Fitness Specialist certification since 1996. Jo has been working in the health and fitness industry for nearly 20 years and teaching for over 14 years. UMD courses vary by semester, but may include KNES 157N/O, KNES 161N, KNES 200, KNES 350, KNES 332, and KNES 497.
