Throughput and Motor Control: Dissecting the Mechanisms of Motor Deficits in Health and Disease

Throughput, a measure of performance in bits/second combining speed and accuracy, is widely used in human-machine interaction studies but remains underexplored in the context of motor control and movement disorders. Understanding the underlying neural mechanisms could provide key insights into motor deficits. In disorders with processing deficits, such as Parkinson’s Disease or Alzheimer’s, throughput may be constrained by impaired decision-making or motor planning. By contrast, output deficits such as those seen in stroke or spinal cord injury produce weakness and the inability to control specific muscles (individuation), and hence impair motor execution. A systematic investigation of throughput could reveal distinct mechanisms underlying motor impairments and provide valuable diagnostic and therapeutic insights.

Research Question and Hypothesis

This project aims to understand the basis of throughput in healthy individuals and identify specific deficits in clinical populations with motor impairments. We hypothesize that throughput deficits will reflect interactions between muscle individuation and strength. By dissecting these contributions, we aim to identify condition-specific mechanisms underlying motor deficits.

Methods

The project will combine behavioural and neurophysiological approaches. We will use behavioural tasks designed to measure overall throughput, and sub-components such as precision, speed, and accuracy. Using these tasks combined with neurophysiological techniques (such as motor unit recordings and non-invasive brain stimulation), we can compare throughput (and its constraints) between different muscle groups (e.g. proximal vs. distal, extensor vs. flexor), as well as the contribution of motor command pathways such as the reticulospinal and corticospinal tracts. Initial quantification will be in healthy controls and then clinical studies will compare throughput in processing-deficit conditions (such as Parkinson’s Disease) and output-deficit conditions (such as stroke or spinal cord injury).

Timeliness and Impact

This project is timely, given the growing interest in precision diagnostics and individualized rehabilitation for movement disorders. By identifying distinct contributors to motor deficits, this research could transform how we diagnose, monitor, and treat these conditions. The findings will also advance fundamental understanding of motor control in health.

 Supervisory Team

The project will be supervised by an interdisciplinary team with expertise in motor control, neurophysiology and movement disorders, as well as with the clinical expertise required in implementing novel diagnostics and electroceuticals in patients. You will work closely with researchers developing cutting-edge measures of motor performance. This supportive environment will provide training in neurophysiological techniques, in data analysis, and clinical research.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to ground-breaking research at the intersection of neuroscience, motor control, and clinical rehabilitation. 

Funding

PhD studentships are funded by the Reece Foundation for 4 years. Funding will cover tuition fees at the UK rate only, a Research Training and Support Grant and a stipend (Year 1: £22,000, Year 2: £23,000. Year 3: £24,000. Year 4: £25,000). Applications are welcomed from students in all countries, although students from outside the UK will be required to pay full international fees. International students may be eligible for additional financial support to cover some, or all, of these fees.

Enquiries

Dr Demetris Soteropoulos [Email Address Removed]

Centre for Neuroscience: [Email Address Removed]

Applications

https://www.ncl.ac.uk/research/transformative-neuroscience/studentship/