Event Date
NICOLAS SCHWEIGHOFER, PH.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy
University of Southern California
Host: Carolynn Patten, PhD, PT, FAPTA, cpatten@ucdavis.edu
This event has both in-person and remote options. Please follow the safety precautions in effect at the time of the event (link).
Registration link:
https://tinyurl.com/NeuroengNov22
Abstract
Large doses of movement practice have been shown to restore upper extremities’ motor function in individuals post-stroke. However, such large doses are both difficult to implement in the clinic and highly inefficient. In addition, an important reduction in upper extremities function and use is commonly seen following rehabilitation-induced gains, resulting in “rehabilitation in vain”. The lack of use of the affected limb during activities of daily living has been previously proposed to cause a loss of motor function, initiating a vicious cycle of recovery, in which non-use and poor performance reinforce each other. Here, we review computational, experimental, and clinical studies that support the view that if arm use is above a threshold, patients with mild to moderate impairments can enter a virtuous cycle in which arm use and function reinforce each other via self-practice. If not, patients enter a vicious cycle of lower arm use and function. In turn, this virtuous/vicious cycle model advocates for a paradigm shift in neurorehabilitation whereby rehabilitation is embedded in activities of daily living through self-practice with the aid of wearable technology that enhances paretic limb use.
Bio
Dr. Schweighofer received his MS in Control Systems Engineering in France, and his PhD in Neuroscience from University of Southern California in Computational Neuroscience (1995), where he did research to model the cerebellum with professor Michael Arbib. He did post-docs with Mitsuo Kawato and then with Kenji Doya at ATR, Kyoto, Japan, in theoretical and experimental studies of motor control and learning. Since 2004, Dr. Schweighofer returned to USC where he is now an Associate Professor in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, with joint appointments in Neuroscience, Computer Science, and Biomedical Engineering. He is the Director of the Computational Neurorehabilitation Lab, where he applies theoretical and experimental knowledge of motor control and motor learning to enhance motor recovery after stroke.