Research

The Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at USC has a highly productive research program that is focused on biokinesiology, the integrative study of biological bases of human movement, both normal and disordered. The focus of biokinesiology is on understanding how the human body adapts to growth and experience as well as to injury, disease, and aging.

See a list of USC Faculty Publications in 2006 

The Division's researchers collaborate with other scientists at USC, as well as regionally and nationally in innovative, interdisciplinary studies with eight different state-of-the-art laboratories: 

Clinical Electrophysiology Laboratory Investigators: Lucinda Baker, Ning Lan  Research Focus: Effects of electrical stimulation as well as optimal parameters for stimulation; clinical studies of efficacy of different programs of electrical stimulation in selected pathological conditions; investigation of the fully implanted microstimulator called a BION. Research Methods: Clinical testing of individuals following stroke and spinal cord injury before, during and following stimulated exercise programs.  Kinesiologic testing of gait parameters in individuals who have osteoarthritis of the knee and who are participating in stimulation studies. Funding: NIH See more...

Clinical Exercise Research Center Investigators: Todd Schroeder, Fred Sattler  Research Focus: Interactions among exercise, drugs, and hormones in aging and in populations susceptible to muscle wasting. Research Methods: Metabolic, cardiovascular, pulmonary, body composition, bone density, strength, and physical function testing; muscle biopsies and immunohistochemistry techniques to visualize the effects of particular interventions on skeletal muscle. Funding: NIH See more...

Motor Behavior And Neurorehabilitation Laboratory Investigators: Carolee Winstein, James Gordon, Beth Fisher, Nicolas Schweighofer, Katherine Sullivan Research Focus: Brain-behavior relationships in learning and execution of skilled movement behaviors; new methods for treatment of individuals with brain disorders; efficacy and effectiveness of standardized treatment approaches. Research Methods: Behavioral and kinematic analysis; small-scale clinical trials methodology to determine the efficacy of assessment and interventions to define disability and enhance recovery of skilled movements in neurologic patients; large-scale clinical trials of physical treatment modalities in neurorehabilitiation (see PTClinResNet poster.) Funding: NIH, Foundation for PT, Kinetics Foundation See more...

Motor Control Development Laboratory Investigator: Nina Bradley  Research Focus: prenatal movement,  the impact of environmental conditions on fetal motor development, and their relationship to neonatal motor behavior in normal locomotor development.. Research Focus: prenatal movement,  the impact of environmental conditions on fetal motor development, and their relationship to neonatal motor behavior in normal locomotor development..  Funding: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health See more...

Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Laboratory Investigators: Christopher Powers, George Salem, Kornelia Kulig, Susan Sigward, Christine Pollard  Research Focus: Root causes of musculoskeletal disorders and efficacy of selected interventions. Also, biomechanical basis of functionally based exercises and principles governing their application in special populations. Research Methods: State-of-the-art motion analysis techniques to test hypotheses related to the kinematics, kinetics, and motor control strategies associated with human locomotion and movement, as well as functional exercise approaches. Funding: NIH, Foundation for PT, NATA, private industry See more...

Perinatal Neuroscience Laboratory Investigator: Jack Turman, Jr.  Research Focus: Interested in understanding the impact of perinatal perturbations on neural and behavioral development. Research is both interdisciplinary and translational, and although the focus is on studying animal models of perinatal diseases or conditions, there is a partnership with clinical researchers studying interventions targeting preterm infants and their families. The perturbations studied include: neonatal hypoxic ischemic brain injury, maternal deprivation (neonatal stress), and maternal undernutrition. Research Methods: Quantitative behavioral neuroscience analyses is used to study feeding, cognitive, and emotional development, neuroanatomical techniques (morphology, neural tract tracing, immunohistochemistry), biochemistry (PCR, Western blots, protein assays), and neonatal rodent metabolic testing. Funding: Private, corporate and foundation funding. See more...

Development of Infant Motor Performance Laboratory Investigator: Linda Fetters Research Focus: The development of both typical and atypical human action during infancy and rehabilitation of movement disorders in infants and children Research Methods: Kinematic and kinetic methods to quantify coordination Funding:

Neuroplasticity and Imaging Laboratory Investigator: Beth Fisher  Research Focus: exploring central mechanisms underlying motor skill learning and motor control in non-disabled and brain injured individuals using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS); investigating physiological changes and neuroplasticity related to motor skill learning and rehabilitation; developing effective rehabilitation programs based on evidence of activity-dependent neuroplasticity. Research Methods: Funding:

Computational Neuro-Rehabilitation and Learning Laboratory (CNRL) Investigator: Nicolas Schweighofer  Research focus: Developing computational neural models of motor skill learning and motivation; studying neuromodulation in motor learning and motivation; developing learning- and motivation-based adaptive practice schedules to enhance motor learning after stroke. Research Methods: Behavioral experiments, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), fMRI, pharmacology, computational neuroscience, and rehabilitation robotics. Funding: NSF and NIH

Neuromuscular Systems Laboratory Investigator: Francisco Valero-Cuevas  Research Focus: The biomechanics, neuromuscular function, control and clinical rehabilitation of complex neuromuscular systems and robotic and neural control of dexterous manipulation Research Methods: A synergy of experimental and theoretical techniques. Our experimental approaches range from anatomical studies, motion capture, force measurements, EMG recording and customized robot-controlled virtual reality tasks, to human brain mapping with fMRI and patient testing. These procedures inform theoretical work to characterize neuromuscular behavior, function and control through neuromuscular computer models, artificial intelligence, and linear and nonlinear mathematical analyses. Funding: NIH, NSF, Whitaker Foundation, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. See more...