Lena Ting, PhDProfessor, W.H. Coulter Department of Biomechanical EngineeringGeorgia Tech and Emory UniversityHost: Eric Perreault

"Neuromechanics of balance: from flamingos to dancers"

Our ability to move in the world, and even to stand upright depend on complex and flexible neuromechanical interactions. Our experimental and computational studies of balance in one-, two-, and four-legged standing have revealed many ways that the brain and body interact and influence each other in the control of movement. I will demonstrate how the neural and mechanical computations used for balance are shaped by evolutionary, learning, and disease processes as well as behavioral context. Despite our individual differences in balance control, the same neuromechanical principles can be used to understand and model balance in health and disease.