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Dr. Amy Bastian is the Director of the Motion Analysis Laboratory at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. She is also an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Biographical Sketch:
After completing her undergraduate degree in Physical Therapy at the University of Oklahoma, Dr.Bastian completed a Ph.D. in Movement Science at Washington University in 1995, and a postdoctoral fellowship in Neuroscience at Washington University under Dr. W.T. Thach. Most recently, Dr. Bastian was an Assistant Professor in Physical Therapy and the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Bastian came to Kennedy Krieger Institute in the summer of 2001.
Research Summary:
Movement disorders commonly occur following neurological damage. Dr. Bastian and her colleagues study the movements of adults and children who have damage or disease of the central nervous system. Her group is interested in understanding the mechanisms of different types of movement disorders, as well as how and why different treatments improve movement. She is also actively studying how new movements are "learned" and what the course of movement recovery following different types brain damage is.
Much of Dr. Bastian’s work has focused on understanding how damage to the part of the brain called the cerebellum causes movement incoordination or "ataxia." Cerebellar damage can be caused by tumor, stroke, hemorrhage, or degenerative disease. Ataxia resulting from cerebellar damage is extremely difficult to treat; often interventions are limited to physical therapy and exercise. Dr. Bastian’s long range goals are to help clarify the mechanisms by which cerebellar damage alters the production of normal movement and provide information that will enhance rehabilitation treatments for ataxia. Her prior research suggests that one important role of the cerebellum is to adjust the motor output controlling a given part of the body to compensate for mechanical effects caused by movement of other body parts (interaction torques). Her current research involves both children and adults with cerebellar ataxia. Specific studies are underway to define the mechanisms of gait (walking) ataxia, determine whether short term training can improve ataxic movements, and determine whether people with cerebellar ataxia can learn to shift movement performance to a more automatic state. Dr. Bastian’s group is also studying the movement disorders and treatments associated with cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease.
Dr. Bastian works with neurologists, physical therapists and neuroscientists. Her laboratory employs several techniques to quantify movement including: 3-dimensional tracking and reconstruction of movement kinematics, recordings of muscle activity, force plate recordings, and calculation of joint forces and torques. These techniques allow Dr. Bastian to make very precise measurements of many different types of movements including: walking, reaching, leg movements, hand movements and standing balance. The quantitative information gained from her studies make it possible to detect very small changes in movement performance over time or with treatment.
Recent Publications/Presentations:
Gordon LM, Keller JL, Stashinko EE, Hoon AH, Bastian AJ. Can spasticity and dystonia be independently measure din cerebral palsy? Pediatr Neurol., Dec;35(6): 375-81, 2006.
Bastian AJ. Learning to predict the future: the cerebellum adapts feedforward movement control. Curr Opin Neurobiol., Dec;16(6) 645-9, 2006.
Morton SM, Bastian AJ. Cerebellar contributions to locomotor adaptations during splitbelt treadmill walking. J Neurosci., Sep;26(36); 9107-16, 2006.
Reisman DS, Block HJ, Bastian AJ. Interlimb coordination during locomotion: What can be adapted and stored? J Neurophysiol, Oct;94(4):2403-15, 2005.
Lang CE and Bastian AJ. Cerebellar damage impairs automaticity of a recently practiced movement. Journal of Neurophysiology, 87(3):1336-47, 2002.
Lang CE and Bastian AJ. Additional somatosensory information does not improve cerebellar adaptation during catching. Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology 112(5): 895-907, 2001. | 