CAREER: Scientific Investigation of Motor Learning to Improve Gait Rehabilitation in Individuals with Neuromuscular Dysfunction

University Of Connecticut, Storrs CT

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Societal costs attributed to the treatment and rehabilitation of individuals suffering from neuromuscular dysfunction exceeds over $400 billion annually. A major goal of rehabilitation is to improve or restore an individual’s gait, reduce fall risk, increase mobility, and return independence. Recent advancements in computer modeling can help to develop better personalized rehabilitation plans for injured individuals. The research activities in this project will explore strategies for promoting healthy gait in individuals with neuromuscular impairment. New tools, metrics, and algorithms will be developed to provide guidance for long-term rehabilitative care. Research activities will be leveraged to engage students from underrepresented groups to become the next generation of community-minded researchers. The new knowledge gained from this project will lead to a greater understanding of neuromuscular control and motor learning with the goal of delivering patient-specific rehabilitation programs. This project is a scientific investigation of motor learning that will pioneer innovative models to prescribe optimal patient-specific rehabilitation for people with gait disorders while increasing STEM engagement in students from underrepresented groups. Here, novel split-belt gait protocols are used to modify and influence the adoption of healthy gait dynamics. A laboratory-centered simulation tool will be constructed that will incorporate patient physiology and gait metrics, musculoskeletal simulations, and clinically related cost functions to model the storage of new gait patterns. Then data mining techniques will be employed to sift through experimental and simulated gait data to generate a clinical tool to prescribe customized gait rehabilitations. Finally, the hands-on aspects of the musculoskeletal simulations and modeling techniques will be exploited to create interactive activities to increase STEM knowledge and interest in STEM careers for students from underrepresented groups. Together, these integrated activities will yield new insight about how to assess, monitor, and influence motor learning to drive the larger goal of improving and optimizing individual movement and health while also inspiring the next generation of STEM professionals. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.