School of Biological Sciences Applied Physiology Lecture Catherine Lang

"From Motion to Meaning: Empowering Neurorehabilitation Across the Lifespan via Wearable Sensing." Researchers have spent decades studying rehabilitation interventions for improving function in people with stroke and other neurological disorders. Trial outcomes are often measured at the activity capacity level, defined as what a person is capable of doing in the structured environment of the clinic or laboratory.  It has long been assumed that improvements in activity capacity result in improvements in real-world activity performance, where activity performance is defined as what a person actually does in daily life, outside of the clinic or laboratory.  We will discuss some of the surprising findings arising from measuring movement in daily life via wearable sensors in persons with stroke and Parkinson disease, beginning inquiries into pediatric motor behavior, and current efforts to move this tool from the research realm into the clinical realm.  Host Young- Hui Chang