 |
Natalia Dounskaia, Ph.D.
Movement Control/Biomechanics
Laboratory |
| About: |
Natalia Dounskaia is an assistant professor at the Department of Kinesiology at ASU. Before accepting this position in 2004, she conducted research as a postdoctoral associate at the same department. Prior to joining ASU, Dr. Dounskaia obtained Ph.D in applied mathematics at the Institute of Control Sciences in Moscow, Russia, and then performed postdoctoral research in motor control at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.
|
| Research: |
The major goal of research conducted in the Motor Control and Biomechanics Lab guided by Dr. Dounskaia is investigation of how movement control strategies used by the central nervous system are adjusted to the biomechanical properties of human limbs. The limbs are complex physical objects. The descending commands have to be generated in consideration of the biomechanical properties of the limbs to make control economical and efficient. This general starting point allows Dr. Dounskaia and her colleagues to approach a number of topics of fundamental motor control, such as general principles of control of multi-joint movements, organization and control of handwriting, differences in organization of discrete and cyclical movements, regularities in movement kinematics, coordination of bimanual movements. The findings related to the fundamental issues of motor control are being successfully applied to studying age-related declines in motor performance and movement deficits caused by Parkinson’s Disease. Dr. Dounskaia has over 30 publications in peer-reviewed journals.
|
| Selected
Publications: |
1. Goble J, Zhang Y, Shimansky Y, Sharma S, Dounskaia N (2007) Directional biases reveal utilization of arm’s biomechanical properties for optimization of motor behavior. J. Neurophysiol. 98: 1240-1252. 2. Dounskaia N (2007) Kinematic invariants during cyclical arm movements. Biol Cybern. 96: 147-163 3. Lee G, Fradet L, Ketcham C, Dounskaia N (2007) Efficient control of arm movements in advanced age. Exp Brain Res. 177: 78-94 4. Wisleder D, Dounskaia N (2006) The role of different submovement types during pointing to a target. Exp Brain Res. 176: 132-149 5. Dounskaia N (2005) The Internal Model and the Leading Joint Hypothesis: Implications for Control of Multi-Joint Movements. Exp Brain Res, 166: 1-16 (review article) 6. Dounskaia N, Ketcham C, Leis BC, Stelmach GE (2005). Disruptions in Joint Control During Drawing Arm Movements in Parkinson’s Disease. Exp Brain Res. 164: 311-322 7 Dounskaia N, Wisleder D, Johnson TA (2005) Influence of Biomechanical Factors on Substructure of Pointing Movements. Exp Brain Res. 164: 505-516 8. Dounskaia, N.V., Ketcham, CJ, Stelmach GE (2002). Commonalities and differences in control of a large set of drawing movements. Exp Brain Res, 146: 11-25.
9. Dounskaia, N.V., Van Gemmert, A.W.A., Stelmach, G.E. (2000). Interjoint coordination during handwriting-like movements. Exp Brain Res, 135: 127-140.
|