Education: Postdoctoral and Visiting Scientists
Activity-dependent spinal chord plasticity/Brain-computer Interfaces
Adaptive plasticity of spinal cord proprioceptive reflexes, first demonstrated in this lab, is studied on the behavioral, physiological, and anatomical levels. The central focus is on the nature of this spinal cord plasticity and on the supraspinal mechanisms and pathways that induce it. In addition, current studies are addressing the use of spinal reflex conditioning to induce and guide plasticity after spinal cord injury so as to improve locomotion and other important functions.
Recent articles:
Wolpaw, J.R. Spinal cord plasticity in the acquisition of a simple motor skill. In Spinal Cord Plasticity: Alterations in Reflex Function (Eds. M.M. Patterson and J.W. Grau), Kluwer Academic, Boston, pp. 101-126, 2001.
Wolpaw, J.R. and Tennissen, A.M. Activity-dependent spinal cord plasticity in health and disease. Annual Review of Neuroscience 24:807-843, 2001.
Chen, X.Y. and Wolpaw, J.R. Probable corticospinal tract control of spinal cord plasticity in the rat. Journal of Neurophysiology, 87:645-652, 2002.
BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACES FOR COMMUNICATION AND CONTROL
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Jonathan R. Wolpaw
Research Physician,
Wadsworth Center,
Nervous System Disorders
Over the past 15 years, this lab has pursued development of EEG-based brain-computer interface (BCI) technology for those with severe motor disabilities. The primary focus is on use of mu and beta rhythm activity recorded over sensorimotor cortex in humans. Current work is aimed at improving the information transfer rate and also at demonstrating the potential usefulness of this new technology for people locked-in by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or other disorders. The lab works in close collaboration with five other BCI labs in the US and Europe.
Recent reviews:
Wolpaw JR, Birbaumer N, Heetderks WJ, McFarland DJ, Peckham PH, Schalk G, Donchin E, Quatrano LA, Robinson CJ, Vaughan TM. Brain-computer interface technology: a review of the first international meeting. IEEE Trans. Rehabil. Eng. 8:164-173, 2000. Wolpaw JR, McFarland DJ, Vaughan TM. Brain-computer interface research at the Wadsworth Center. IEEE Trans. Rehabil. Eng. 8:222-225, 2000.
Both projects are located in the Wadsworth Center, which is part of a modern well-equipped facility that includes a Graduate Program of the State University of New York. The Albany area is an excellent and very affordable living environment. It has a consortium of academic institutions, and is close to cultural and outdoor recreational facilities and to New York, Boston and Montreal.
Interested candidates should send curriculum vitae and three letters of reference to Dr. Jonathan R. Wolpaw at: wolpaw@wadsworth.org or at: Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders, Wadsworth Center, NY State Dept. of Health and Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, State Univ. of New York, Box 509, Albany, NY 12201-509.