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Lab Head: Professor Brian Day
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About us
The laboratory focuses on neural processes that control human movement and balance, and their disorders resulting from damage to the central nervous system.
Our main lines of investigation are aimed at understanding the mechanisms that control and integrate whole-body actions, in particular standing, walking, and reaching. We are interested in how the neural processes combine sensory information from vestibular organs, eyes, muscles and skin to compute motor instructions. The brain regions in which we are currently interested include the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and parietal cortex.
The labs are housed on the 5th floor of 33 Queen Square.
The main research tools consist of non-invasive sensory stimulation techniques coupled with 3D movement measurement technology.
The recording equipment includes eight CODA sensor units each of which can determine the 3D coordinates of up to 56 infrared emitting body markers.
This kinematic information is combined with force data from up to five Kistler force plates and two JR3 6-axis force handles, electromyographic activity transmitted wirelessly from up to 32 muscles using a Delsys Trigno system, as well as gaze data from SMI Eye Tracking Glasses.
Trunk control projects
Sit-to-stand
Cacciatore, T.W., Mian, O.S., Peters, A., Day, B.L. (2014).听听Neuro-mechanical interference of posture on movement: evidence from Alexander technique teachers rising from a chair. Journal of Neurophysiology 112(3), 719-729
Cacciatore, T.W., Gurfinkel, V.S., Horak, F.B., Day, B.L. (2011).听听Prolonged weight-shift and altered spinal coordination during sit-to-stand in practitioners of the Alexander Technique.听 Gait and Posture 34(4), 496-501
Use of vestibular information for trunk movement
Day, B. L., Reynolds, R. F. (2005).听Vestibular reafference shapes voluntary movement.听Current Biology听15(15), 1390-1394
Cauquil, A. S., Day, B. L. (1998).听Galvanic vestibular stimulation modulates voluntary movement of the human upper body.听The Journal of Physiology听513(2), 611-619
Trunk control after stroke: Method for evaluating multidirectional trunk force control
Mockova, M., Greenwood, R., Day, B. L. (2006).听A method for quantifying directional strength and motor control of the trunk.听Journal of Neuroscience Methods听156(1-2), 211-217
Standing projects
Cerebellar ataxia
Bunn, L.M., Marsden J.F., Voyce, D.C., Giunti, P., Day, B.L. (2015).听Sensorimotor processing for balance in spinocerebellar ataxia type 6. Movement Disorders. DOI: 10.1002/mds.26227
Bunn, L.M., Marsden J.F., Giunti, P., Day, B.L. (2015).听Training balance with opto-kinetic stimuli in the home: a randomized controlled feasibility study in people with pure cerebellar disease. Clinical Rehabilitation 29(2), 143-53
Bunn, L.M., Marsden, J.F., Giunti, P., Day, B.L. (2013).听听Stance instability in spinocerebellar ataxia type 6.听 Movement Disorders 28(4), 510-516
Vestibular听control of standing
Vestibular processes
Mian, O.S., Day, B.L., (2014).听Violation of the craniocentricity principle for vestibular-evoked balance responses under conditions of anisotropic stability. The Journal of Neuroscience 34(22), 7696-7703
Day, B. L., Marsden, J. F., Ramsay, E., Mian, O. S., Fitzpatrick, R. C. (2010).听Non-linear vector summation of left and right vestibular signals for human balance..听J Physiol听588(Pt 4), 671-682
Cathers, I., Day, B. L., Fitzpatrick, R. C. (2005).听Otolith and canal reflexes in human standing.听The Journal of Physiology听563(1), 229-234
Cognitive inputs
Guerraz, M., Day, B. L. (2005).听Expectation and the vestibular control of balance.听Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience听17(3), 463-469
Interaction with load
Marsden, J. F., Blakey, G., Day, B. L. (2003).听Modulation of human vestibular-evoked postural responses by alterations in load.听The Journal of Physiology听548(3), 949-953
Marsden, J. F., Castellote, J., Day, B. L. (2002). Bipedal distribution of human vestibular-evoked postural responses during asymmetrical standing.听The Journal of Physiology听542(1), 323-331
Interaction with vision
Day, B. L., Guerraz, M. (2007).听Feedforward versus feedback modulation of human vestibular-evoked balance responses by visual self-motion information.听The Journal of Physiology听582(1), 153-161
Interaction with proprioception
Day, B. L., Cole, J. (2002).听Vestibular-evoked postural responses in the absence of somatosensory information.听Brain听125(9), 2081-2088
Impact of stroke
Marsden, J. F., Playford, E. D., Day, B. L. (2005).听The vestibular control of balance after stroke.听Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry听76(5), 670-678
Parkinson's disease
Pastor, M. A., Day, B. L., Marsden, C. D. (1993).听Vestibular induced postural responses in Parkinson's disease.听Brain听116, 1177-1190
Orthostatic tremor
Fung, V. S., Sauner, D., Day, B. L. (2001).听A dissociation between subjective and objective unsteadiness in primary orthostatic tremor.听Brain听124(2), 322-330
Other diseases
Abdel-Aziz, K., Schneider, T., Solanky, B.S., Yiannakas, M.C., Altmann, D.R., Wheeler-Kingshott, C.A.M., Peters, A.L., Day, B.L., Thompson, A.J., Ciccarelli, O. (2015).听Evidence for early neurodegeneration in the cervical cord of patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Brain pii: awv086
Welgampola, M.S., Ramsay, E., Gleeson, M.J., Day, B.L. (2013).听Asymmetry of balance responses to monaural galvanic vestibular stimulation in subjects with vestibular schwannoma. Clinical Neurophysiology 124, 1835-1839
Upper limb projects
Parkinson's disease
Ling, H., Massey, L.A., Lees, A.J., Brown, P., Day, B.L. (2012).听听Hypokiesia without decrement distinguishes progressive supranuclear palsy from Parkinson's disease.听 Brain 135(4), 1141-1153
Ling, H., Petrovic, I., Day, B.L., Lees, A.J. (2012).听听Smoking-induced transient motor deterioration in a levodopa-treated patient with Parkinson's disease.听 Journal of Neurology 259(11), 2419-2423
Coordination
Roberts, R.E., Bain, P.G., Day, B.L., Husain, M. (2013).听Individual differences in expert motor coordination associated with white matter microstructure in the cerebellum. Cerebral Cortex 23, 2282-2292
Perception
Luu, B.L., Day, B.L., Cole, J.D., Fitzpatrick, R.C. (2011).听听The fusimotor and reafferent origin of the sense of force and weight.听 Journal of Physiology 589(13), 3135-3147
Visual control of reaching
Subcortical and cortical routes
Day, B.L. (2014). 听Subcortical visuomotor control of human limb movement. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology 826, 55-68
Reynolds, R.F., Day, B.L. (2012). 听Direct visuomotor mapping for fast visually-evoked arm movements. 听Neuropsychologia 50, 3169-3173
Day, B. L., Brown, P. (2001).听Evidence for subcortical involvement in the visual control of human reaching.听Brain听124, 1832-1840
Day, B. L., Lyon, I. N. (2000).听Voluntary modification of automatic arm movements evoked by motion of a visual target.听Experimental Brain Research听130(2), 159-168
Cerebellar ataxia
Day, B. L., Thompson, P. D., Harding, A. E., Marsden, C. D. (1998).听Influence of vision on upper limb reaching movements in patients with cerebellar ataxia.听Brain听121, 357-372
Past group members:
- Mr. Matthew Bancroft
- Ms Amy Peters
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