Research at PTRS

Investigator: Jill Whitall, PhD, PT SOM Faculty Profile GPILS Faculty Profile SIMDAR Lab

 

Current Projects

• Assessing the auditory-motor processing abilities of children with DCD (and other non-diagnosable movement problems) and specifically their ability to adapt to changed stimuli using a bilateral finger tapping paradigm. We assess the child’s ability to perceive changes in the auditory stimuli and then assess whether below or above perceptual threshold changes result in changes in finger tapping coordination. This project includes studying adults and typically developing children and pilot work on interventions. There is also a component of translational research underway.
• Conducting a small randomized controlled study of patients with chronic stroke testing 6 weeks of Bilateral Arm Training with Rhythmic Auditory Cueing (BATRAC) versus Unilateral Arm Training with Rhythmic Auditory Cueing (UNITRAC). We give a battery of laboratory and questionnaire tests and neuroplasticity measures pre/post training.
• We are beginning a small randomized controlled study of patients with chronic stroke testing 6 weeks of Treadmill training with Rhythmic Auditory Cueing (TREADTRAC) followed by 6 weeks of overground training with cueing vs. Treadmill training alone followed by overground training without cueing.

GRANT SUPPORT (selected)

Active

2008 – 2010
Treadmill training with rhythmic auditory cueing in older adults with chronic stroke
Principal Investigator
Co-I: McCombe Waller, S., Morton, S., Forrester, L.
National Institute on Aging: R03AG030349
Current Direct Cost: $41,000
Total Direct Costs: $82,000

2006 –2011
Neuromotor Core
Co-Core Leader
Hanley, D.(Co-Leader)
Rep. Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center
Principal Investigator, Goldberg, A.
National Institute on Aging: P30 AG028747
Current Direct Cost of Center:$828,000
Total Direct Costs: $4,140,000

2006 – 2008
Bilateral vs. unilateral arm training in chronic stroke
Principal Investigator
Co-I: Kagerer, F., McCombe Waller, S., Hanley, D., Luft, A., Macko, R.; Sorkin J.
National Center for Neuromuscular Rehabilitation Research: R21 HD047756
Current Direct Cost: $112,500
Total Direct Costs: $206,250

2006 – 2009
Evaluation of robotic upper extremity neuro-rehabilitation
Co-Investigator
Principal Investigator, Bever, C.T
Veterans Affairs Merit Award
Current Direct Cost: $ $6,334
Total Direct Costs: $$19,002

2005 – 2006
Task-specific modification in cortical activation after BATRAC training.
Not activated Co-Investigator
Principal Investigator: Luft, A.
VA REAP Pilot Study
Total Costs: $20,000

2005 – 2010
Task-oriented exercise and robotics in neurological disease
Co-Investigator
Co- Principal Investigators: Macko, R.F./Bever, C.T.
VA RR & D Center of Excellence
Current Direct Cost: $3,000
Total Direct Costs: $15,000

Patent

2006 Patent issued for BATRAC (Rehabilitation machine for Stroke) in US. #7,121,981

Collaborations

DCD
Key Co-Investigators/Collaborators:
Jane Clark, Ph.D. Kinesiology UMCP
Nancy Getchell, Ph.D. Kinesiology, University of Delaware
Jose Contreras Vidal, Ph.D. Kinesiology UMCP
Florian Kagerer, Ph.D. Kinesiology UMCP
Annemiek Wilms Floet, MD. Department of Pediatrics, UMB

Stroke
Key Co-Investigators/Collaborators:
Sandy McCombe Waller, PT., Ph.D., NCS, PTRS, UMB
Larry Forrester, Ph.D. PTRS, UMB
Susanne Morton, PT., Ph.D., Iowa University
Andreas Luft, MD Neurology, University of Tübingen
Dan Hanley, MD Neurology, Johns Hopkins University
Rich Macko, MD Neurology, UMB

Recent Selected and Representative Publications: Since 2003

• Getchell, N. & Whitall, J. (2003). How do children coordinate simultaneous upper and lower extremity tasks? The development of dual motor task coordination Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 85(2):120-40
• Luft AR, McCombe Waller S, Forrester L, Smith GV, Whitall J, Macko RF, Goldberg AP, Hanley DF (2004) Lesion location alters brain activation in chronically impaired stroke survivors. Neuroimage 21, 924-35.
• McCombe Waller, S, & Whitall, J. (2004) Fine motor function in adults with chronic hemiparesis: Baseline comparison to non-disabled adults and effects of bilateral arm training. Archives of Rehabilitation and Physical Medicine 85, 1076-83.
• Whitall, J. (2004) Stroke Rehabilitation Research: Time to Answer More Specific Questions?” Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair,18, 3-8.
• Luft AR, McCombe Waller S, Whitall J, Forrester LW, Macko RF, Sorkin JD, Schulz MD Goldberg AP, Hanley D (2004) Repetitive bilateral arm training and motor cortex activation in chronic stroke Journal of American Medical Association. 292,1853-61.
• Harris-Love, M, Macko, RF, Whitall, J., Forrester, L. (2004) Improved Hemiparetic Muscle Activation in Treadmill Versus Overground Walking. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair18, 154-60.
• Getchell, N., McMenamin, S., Whitall, J. (2005). Dual motor task coordination in children with and without learning disabilities. Adapted Physical Activity Quareterly, 22, 21-38.
• McCombe Waller, S, & Whitall, J. (2005) Hand Dominance and Side of Stroke Affect Rehabilitation in Chronic Stroke. Clinical Rehabilitation.19, 544-51.
• Macclellan LR, Bradham, DD, Whitall, J, Volpe B, Wilson PD, Ohlhoff, J, Meister C, Hogan, N, Krebs HI, Bever, CT Jr. (2005) Robotic upper-limb neurorehabilitation in chronic stroke patients. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development.42, 717-22.
• Harris-Love, ML., McCombe Waller, S., Liu, W. & Whitall, J. (2005) Exploiting interlimb coupling to improve paretic arm reaching performance in people with chronic stroke. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 86, 2131-7.
• Waller, SM., Harris-Love, M., Liu, W., Whitall, J. (2006). Temporal coordination of the arms during bilateral simultaneous and sequential movements in patients with chronic hemiparesis. Experimental Brain Research, 168, 450-4.
• Whitall, J., Savin, D.N., Harris-Love, M., McCombe Waller, S. (2006). Psychometric properties of a modified Wolf Motor Function test for people with mild and moderate upper-extremity hemiparesis. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.87, 656-60.
• Whitall, J., Getchell, N., McMenamin, S., Horn, C., Wilms-Floet, A., Clark, J.E. (2006). Perception-action coupling in children with and without DCD: Frequency locking between task-relevant auditory signals and motor responses in a dual-motor task. Child Care, Health and Development, 32, 679-92 .
• McQuade, K., Harris-Love, M.L. & Whitall, J. (2008) Maximal Voluntary Isometric Elbow Force During Unilateral versus Bilateral Contractions in Individuals with Chronic Stroke. Journal of Applied Biomechanics. 24, 69-74.
• McCombe Waller, S., Liu, W. & Whitall, J. (2008) Temporal and spatial control following bilateral versus unilateral training. Human Movement Science. Jul 16 (Epub ahead of print)
• Whitall, J., Chang, T-Y., Horn, C.L., Jung-Potter, J., McMenamin, S., Wilms-Floet, A. & Clark, J.E. (2008) Auditory-motor coupling of bilateral finger tapping in children with and without DCD compared to adults. Human Movement Science. Jul 16 (Epub ahead of print)
• McKenzie, S., Getchell, N., Deutsch, K., Wilms Floet, A., Clark, J.E. & Whitall, J. (2008). Multilimb coordination and rhythmic variability under varying sensory availability conditions in children with DCD. Human Movement Science. 27, 256-69.