Motor Control Methods and Clinical Applications

Dr. Robert Chen received MA and medical degrees (MBBChir) from the University of Cambridge and M.Sc. from the University of Toronto. He undertook Neurology residency at the Western University, and fellowship at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. He is currently Professor of Medicine (Neurology) at the University of Toronto, the Catherine Manson Chair in Movement Disorders, Senior Scientist at the Krembil Brain Institute, a full member of the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto, Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences and Associate Editor for Movement Disorders. His research interests include human motor physiology, brain plasticity and understanding the pathophysiology and development of new treatments for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. He has published over 350 research papers with Google Scholar H-index of over 100. Prof. Ulf Ziemann is the Director of Department Neurology & Stroke and a Co-Director of the Hertie-Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Germany. He has been the Editor-in-Chief of Clinical Neurophysiology (2016-2023) and is a Deputy Editor of Brain Stimulation. His main research topics are motor cortex, plasticity, non-invasive brain state-dependent stimulation, TMS-EEG, and neuropharmacology. His clinical expertise focuses on stroke, neuroimmunology and clinical neurophysiology. He has received numerous award, including the Richard-Jung Prize of German Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Merit Award, and is a Clarivate Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher (2020-2023).

• Part 1 Methods1. Transcranial magnetic stimulation: positive effects (includes single and paired pulse methods, and triple-stimulation-technique)2. Transcranial magnetic stimulation: negative motor effects (contralateral and ipsilateral silent periods)3. Modulation of TMS motor-evoked potentials by muscle contraction, motor imagery, action observation, action preparation4. Effect of non-invasive brain stimulation on voluntary movements (such as effects on RT, ballistic movement, kinematic effects, with TMS, including TES if appropriate)5. Induction of motor system plasticity using transcranial magnetic stimulation (e.g., regular rTMS, TBS, PAS, QPS, sTMS etc)6. Induction of motor system plasticity using transcranial electrical stimulation (tDCS, tACS, random noise stimulation7. Induction of motor system plasticity using transcranial ultrasound stimulation8. Induction of motor system plasticity using temporal interference stimulation9. Contributions of spinal epidural recordings to mechanisms of TMS and TES10. Corticomuscular or EEG-EMG coherence, and intermuscular or EMG-EMG coherence11. TMS-EEG – relation to motor physiology12. ERD/ERS, BP (EEG/MEG), multichannel surface EMG, EMG-EEG backaveraging13. Brain computer interfaces in the motor system: the technologies14. Long-latency reflexes and cutaneous reflexes15. Brainstem reflexes and startle reaction16. Spinal reflexes (H-reflex, reciprocal inhibition)Part 2: Clinical Applications:17. Utility of TMS in the diagnosis of neurological disorders18. Electrophysiological studies in the diagnosis of movement disorders (multiple channel surface EMG, EMG-EEG backaveraging, for tremor, muscle jerks/myoclonus)19. Clinical use of TMS-EEG in the motor system20. Clinical applications of ultrasound neuromodulation of the motor system21. Clinical application of rTMS/tDCS as treatment in motor disorders (e.g. ALS, PD)22. Clinical applications of Brain computer interfaces in the motor system