Projects

Motor-neurological conditions such as stroke can disrupt normal muscle activity for any part of the human body, especially in the upper extremities. Upper-limb impairment makes it harder for affected people to perform daily routines that involve manipulation (e.g. opening a door, typing on a keyboard, etc.) The selective activation of a muscle group for a particular manipulation is referred to as a muscle synergy. The lab is currently in joint investigation with the Brain, Learning, and Movement Lab at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute to understand how well people impacted by stroke can apply and suppress forces from the fingers. Specifically, our labs are quantifying and characterizing microforces from the finger synergies of stroke-affected individuals. Our aim is to apply this synergy characterization to inform better treatments with faster rates of recovery.