Motor Control Laboratory

With funding from The Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, the Center has established the NYU Motor Control Laboratory, that utilizes advanced neurophysiological tools such as the digitized motor control tablet, Trans-Cranial Magnetic Stimulator (TMS), and High density EEG (Hd-EEG) to better understand the motor physiology of Parkinson and other movement disorders such as dystonia.

In the last decade we have learned that there are changes in the complex wiring of the brain that organize and correctly execute simple and complex movements. These changes may be responsible for symptoms that do respond to dopaminergic treatment, such as freezing of gait, imbalance, and diminished ability to learn new motor tasks, or are caused by treatment, such as dyskinesias. Abnormal wiring of the motor brain circuits may also explain other movement disorders, such as dystonia, chorea, and tremor. 

The laboratory works closely with the functional neuroimaging center at NYU to understand the complex functional and anatomical correlates in the brain. TMS is also a tool to study “brain plasticity,” or how the brain can modify itself when learning new tools, and will be used to assess the therapeutic and restorative effect of exercise and music in patients with PD and other movement disorders.