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• 1 2023-08-24T18:18:52+00:00 Dr. Natalia Sanchez 5 plain 2023-09-06T16:07:35+00:00 Email: sanchezaldana@chapman.edu
  Website: https://www.gaitbehaviorlab.com/
  College: Crean College of Health and Behavioral Sciences
  
  Overview of scholarly research/creative activity:
  Our research aims to understand the individual factors that shape gait behaviors in healthy and pathological populations during changing walking demands. For this research, the lab integrates experimental methods in motor control, biomechanics, and physiology and machine learning methods for analyses.
  
  Specific projects working on:
  Determining changes in the neuromuscular control of walking during different walking demands: We can modify walking patterns implicitly in the presence of external perturbations, or explicitly during voluntary modifications. Particularly, people post-stroke retain the capacity to modify walking patterns explicitly using biofeedback and implicitly when encountering changes in the walking environment. Our goal is to assess changes in muscle activation patterns associated with walking modifications driven explicitly vs. implicitly, to determine whether individuals generate different amounts of co-contraction during explicit vs. implicit walking modifications. Understanding how walking modifications driven explicitly vs. implicitly influence co-contraction will allow us to identify approaches that can more effectively restore muscle activation toward pre-stroke patterns, promoting mechanism-based recovery of walking function.
  
  Time uncertainty and adaptation of walking patterns and energetics:
  People adapt the way they walk during everyday life: we can adapt to wearing hiking boots, walking on rough terrain, and even walking on ice. Research has also shown that people adapt the way they walk to reduce the amount of energy required. The energy required to move depends not only on the
  movement pattern but also on the duration of movement. Here, we will explore whether people adjust movement patterns depending on how long they need to sustain the movement.
  
  Number of students looking to work with:
  1-2
  
  When students are needed:
  Spring 2024
  Summer 2024
  
  What students need to work with Dr. Sanchez:
  Students in Health Sciences, Applied Physiology or Data Science
  
  What students would be doing:
  lab experiments, data processing, data analysis, working with research participants which includes young adults, older adults and people with disabilities
  
  Time commitment for students:
  meet once/week, expected 5 hrs commitment to project/week