Research

Every time we move, such as when reaching for an object, standing up from being seated, or walking from one place to another, we produce forces that, if unaccounted for, would render our movement unsuccessful, inefficient, and potentially injurious. In addition, we are regularly faced with a dynamic environment in which we must quickly respond in order to preserve the safety of our body and maintain our movement goals (such as when avoiding objects, slipping, tripping, or when bumped or pushed). In order to counteract these perturbing forces and ensure successful, efficient and safe movement, we must engage in a complex interaction of sensory integration and motor coordination to preserve and integrate our posture and movement.

These activities require activation at all levels of the nervous system, so it is no surprise that impaired posture and movement become evident with disorders ranging from musculoskeletal injury and pain to neurological diseases of the highest centers of the neural axis. Many of the neural mechanisms responsible for integrating posture and movement remain unclear, as do the neural mechanisms of impairment that coincide with disordered posture and movement. Therefore, as a member of the Human Motion Analysis Laboratory in the Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science, our research investigates the neural mechanisms that underlie human posture and movement, with and without disease or injury.

Methods include the use of electroencephalography (EEG) to record movement-related brain activation, electromyography (EMG) to record muscle activation patterns, kinematics to record a person’s movement, and kinetics to record the forces produced by a person’s movement. Specific populations of interest include people with musculoskeletal injury (low back pain), the elderly, and people with neurological disorders (such as Parkinson's disease or multiple sclerosis). In identifying the neural control and dyscontrol of posture and movement, our research then seeks to translate our knowledge of these sensory-motor control mechanisms to investigate evidence-based diagnostic tests and rehabilitation strategies that target the identified neural impairments of posture and movement in hopes of improving health and independent function.

Selected Publications

Jacobs JV, Henry SM, Nagle KJ (In Press) Low back pain associates with altered activity of the cerebral cortex prior to arm movements that require postural adjustment. Clin Neurophysiol.

Fujiwara K, Asai H, Toyama H, Kunita K, Maeda K, Tomita H, Jacobs JV (In Press) Changes in muscle thickness of gastrocnemius and soleus associated with age and sex. Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.

Jacobs JV, Horak FB, Lou JS, Kraakevik JA (2009) The supplementary motor area contributes to the timing of the anticipatory postural adjustment during step initiation in participants with and without Parkinson’s disease. Neuroscience 164:877-885. Abstract (site)

Jacobs JV, Henry SM, Nagle KJ (2009) People with chronic low back pain exhibit decreased variability in the timing of their anticipatory postural adjustments. Behav Neurosci 123: 455-458. Abstract (site)

Jacobs JV, Nutt JG, Carlson-Kuhta P, Stephens MJ, Horak FB (2009) Knee trembling during freezing of gait represents multiple anticipatory postural adjustments. Exp Neurol 215:334-341. Abstract (site)

Jacobs JV, Horak FB, Fujiwara K, Tomita H, Furune N, Kunita K (2008) Changes in the activity of the cerebral cortex relate to postural response modification when warned of a perturbation. Clin Neurophysiol 119:1431-1442. Abstract (site)

Jacobs JV, Horak FB (2007) Cortical control of postural responses: a review. J Neural Trans 114:1339-1348. Abstract (site) Full Text (site)

Jacobs JV, Horak FB (2007) External postural perturbations induce multiple anticipatory postural adjustments when subjects cannot pre-select their stepping foot. Exp Brain Res 179:29-42. Abstract (site) Full Text (site)

Jacobs JV, Horak FB, Nutt JG, Tran VK (2006) Multiple balance tests improve the assessment of postural stability in subjects with Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 77:322-326. Abstract (site) Full Text (site)

Jacobs JV, Horak FB, Nutt JG, Tran VK (2006) An alternative clinical postural stability test for patients with Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol 253:1404-1413. Abstract (site) Full Text (site)

Jacobs JV, Horak FB (2006) Abnormal proprioceptive-motor integration contributes to hypometric postural responses of subjects with Parkinson’s disease. Neuroscience 141:999-1009. Abstract (site)

Jacobs JV, Dimitrova DM, Nutt JG, Horak FB (2005) Can stooped posture explain multi-directional postural instability in patients with Parkinson’s disease? Exp Brain Res 166, 78-88. Abstract (site) Full Text (site)