The ultimate goal of our research is to improve rehabilitation training strategies for the improvement of walking and mobility in people who have had a neurological injury, such as spinal cord injury. We conduct clinical training studies, such as randomized controlled trials, to test new approaches and concepts for gait rehabilitation.
This line of research focuses on understanding how the human locomotor system adapts to immediate and longer-term changes in sensory input and environmental constraints. Using the Lokomat, we can examine the locomotor strategies involved in adapting the walking pattern to sudden or sustained mechanical perturbations. Custom-written software for the Lokomat allow us to deliver different types of perturbations during walking. Techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation allow us to investigate some of the sensorimotor pathways that may contribute to locomotor adaptive strategies.
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