Research

Research

We are developing and testing processes, protocols, and software, collectively known as “Computational Motor Objective Rater” (CMOR), to capture pathological features of facial, head, and laryngeal motor control.

Our current areas of focus are:

• Cervical Dystonia (CD, a.k.a. “spasmodic torticollis”):

  • quantifying severity of head tremor and abnormal head postures

  • characterizing factors influencing, and influenced by, the sensory trick and tremor

  • DMRF youtube video about the project

• Blepharospasm (BSP, a form of cranial dystonia):

  • quantifying severity of increased blinking, eyelid spasms, and apraxia of eyelid opening

• Laryngeal Dystonia (LD, a.k.a. “spasmodic dysphonia”)

  • quantify severity of abnormal vocal fold dynamics from laryngoscopy videos

Research Collaborators

Eckart Altenmueller, Hanover University of Music and Drama

Mark Appelbaum, UCSD

Gerald Berke, UCLA

Brian Berman, Virginia Commonwealth University

Cynthia Comella, Rush University Medical Center

Mark Hallett, National Institute of Health

Hyder Jinnah, Emory University

Amy Lin, UCSD

Catherine Liu, UCSD

Abie Mendelsohn, UCLA

Joel Perlmutter, Washington University School of Medicine

Sarah Pirio Richardson, UNM

Glenn Stebbins, Rush University Medical Center