Parkinsons@NI
Parkinson's@NI is a hub for connecting local stakeholders and research partners interested in improving quality of life for people with Parkinson's.
The hub facilitates research, evidence, data and expertise to take advantage of opportunities and find place-based solutions to challenges that matter to the local community of people living with Parkinson's in NI. The hub will also provide information to shape regional economic, community and health-care policy as it relates to Parkinson's and other related neurological conditions.
The hub was launched on the 19th February 2024, and held a very successful event which saw numerous local stake holders and sufferers of Parkinson's coming together to hear about research in the area.
Posture and balance
Mihalis is an expert in sensorimotor neuroscience with a focus on posture and balance research. Research in his lab focuses on the way sensory information (visual, vestibular and proprioceptive) and cognitive resources are used to control movement. His current work focuses on balance control by assessing sensory integration and cognitive resource allocation in this process in neurotypical, atypical and clinical populations including young and older adults, adults with autism, Parkinson's disease and major depression. The methods he uses include posturography, motion capture (Qualisys and xsens), brain stimulation (TMS, tDCS) and neuroimaging (fNIRS).
Matthew's research investigates our perception of the world around us, particularly through sound but also through different senses, and the roles of perception in guiding action and learning. He has over 15 years of experience in using motion capture (including Qualisys and Xsens) and other technologies to study action, skill and mobility in different groups of people, and the role of sensory information for enhancing movement. This research programme has applications in a number of different domains, including using interactive technology to improve coordination, gait and mobility in people living with Parkinson’s or people with visual impairments, as well as enhancing musical skill acquisition and understanding perception of musical performance.