About the Project

The vestibular system provides important sensory information for controlling balance in standing humans. However, for the brain to correctly interpret vestibular information it must be combined with other sensory modalities, including touch, proprioception and vision. Any breakdown in this integration process, caused by sensory loss or deficits in neural processing, will compromise balance and may result in a fall.This project will therefore investigate sensory integration of vestibular, proprioceptive and visual feedback for balance. We will employ Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation to evoke balance responses, and determine how changes in posture and vision affect these response. Evoked balance responses will be measured using force platforms and motion capture equipment.

Applications are sought from graduates with a neuroscience, physiology or engineering background.

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Funding Notes

We welcome applications from Home/EU and overseas students. The University of Birmingham offers a number of competitive scholarships for students of the highest calibre. Further details are available at : http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/students/fees/postgraduate/scholarships/index.aspx.
Students are also welcome to apply with their own funding for this project, either through their own person funds or by securing a scholarship.
Eligibility requirements: An Undergraduate Honours degree with a minimum classification of a 2.1 or equivalent and an English Language qualification for international students.

References

1: Reynolds RF. Vertical torque responses to vestibular stimulation in standing
humans. J Physiol. 2011 Aug 15;589(Pt 16):3943-53.

2: Reynolds RF. The effect of voluntary sway control on the early and late
components of the vestibular-evoked postural response. Exp Brain Res. 2010
Mar;201(2):133-9.

3: Day BL, Reynolds RF. Vestibular reafference shapes voluntary movement. Curr
Biol. 2005 Aug 9;15(15):1390-4.

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Career overview

Dr Raymond Reynolds holds a BSc in Animal Physiology from the University of Reading, an MSc in Neuroscience from University College London, and a PhD from Imperial College London, where he investigated gait adaptation and after-effects. Following the completion of his PhD, Dr Reynolds spent four years at the Institute of Neurology under the supervision of Professor Brian Day, focusing on the sensory guidance of limb trajectory. He joined the School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Birmingham in October 2007. Dr Reynolds has a broad range of research interests within human motor control, particularly in sensorimotor control of balance, reaching, and tremor. His research is supported by the BBSRC and includes themes such as vestibular control of posture, the relationship between muscle activity and hand movement during static postures, and the neural mechanisms underlying online visual control of movement.

Research interests

Dr Reynolds has a wide range of interests within the field of human motor control, focusing on sensorimotor control of balance, reaching, and tremor. His research themes include the vestibular control of posture, examining how the brain transforms vestibular signals into appropriate responses for balance, and the use of Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation to reveal mechanisms underlying sensorimotor control of standing. He investigates tremor using Fourier and wavelet methods to distinguish between neural and mechanical origins of physiological tremor. Additionally, Dr Reynolds studies the neural basis of online visual control of movement, employing target jump paradigms to uncover the neural mechanisms underlying online control of reaching and stepping in both healthy individuals and stroke patients. His research is supported by various funding sources, including the BBSRC and the European Space Agency.

Human Motor Control Sensorimotor Control Balance Reaching Tremor Vestibular Control Postural Adaptation Neural Mechanisms Visual Control of Movement Muscle Activity Physiological Tremor Gait Adaptation Brain Imaging Neural Stimulation Sensory Guidance Proprioception Ankle Stiffness Electrical Vestibular Stimulation Ageing Balance Movement Rehabilitation

View Dr. Raymond Reynolds's profile

Sensory control of balance: Investigating sensory integration of vestibular, proprioceptive and visual feedback for balance

University of Birmingham School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences

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About the Project

Funding Notes