Welcome to the Movement and Plasticity Lab (MAPL)

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability in the US. Of those who receive rehabilitation therapy, approximately 40% have chronically impaired motor function of the upper extremity (UE), contributing to decreased quality of life and increased societal burden of stroke. Currently, clinical rehabilitation focuses on repetitive motor exercises, but interventions are not adapted for individual stroke lesion location or predicted trajectory of recovery.

Prior studies have identified distinct impairments of motor control that contribute to poor function at the chronic stage and likely depend on neuroanatomical structures damaged by the stroke, but the details of what contributes to development of these impairments and timing of when they emerge remains unclear. In order to create optimal rehabilitation strategies and maximize each individual patient's rehabilitation potential, we need better methods for predicting and treating these motor control impairments. The Movement and Plasticity Lab (MAPL) seeks to improve future post-stroke rehabilitation therapies by identifying early biomarkers post-stroke that can be used to predict motor control impairments in the chronic stage.

MAPL focuses on investigating novel data collection methods such as electromyographic computer-interfaces and biometric sensors to analyze motor impairments post-stroke. Studies conducted by MAPL aim to establish the necessary foundation for future development of precision-medicine and novel therapies in neurorehabilitation.