The research program of this laboratory is focused on examining how the brain controls the preparation, initiation and execution of movement in healthy non-impaired individuals and people with disorders of the basal ganglia (e.g. Parkinson’s disease (PD), and dystonia).  The laboratory uses a variety of non-invasive techniques (high-resolution EEG, TMS, tDCS, startle) to examine the cortical, subcortical and spinal mechanisms contributing to two of the cardinal symptoms of basal ganglia dysfunction:  akinesia (poverty of spontaneous voluntary movement) and bradykinesia (slowing of movement).  The laboratory is currently examining the relationship between freezing of gait and sleep disorders in people with PD (funded by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research), the mechanisms by which external cues facilitate gait initiation in PD (funded by the NIH), and the mechanisms of impaired control of repetitive movement in PD.  The goal of the program is to translate this knowledge to the development, testing and implementation of novel therapies and interventions for people with PD.

Principal Investigator

• Colum MacKinnon, PhD