New Papers Out

Mar 31, 2016

Check out our new papers out in The Neuroscientist and GigaScience! Publications

Job Opportunity

Mar 29, 2016

The Neural Plasticity and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory (NPNL) of the University of Southern California, directed by Dr. Sook-Lei Liew, is now looking for a Postdoctoral Fellow. The laboratory is devoted to the study of neuroplasticity and motor learning in healthy individuals and individuals after stroke. The overall aim is to understand mechanisms of brain plasticity and to apply this knowledge to the development of novel interventions to enhance motor recovery after stroke. The laboratory utilizes neuroimaging (functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)), and behavioral and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial electric stimulation (tES, including tDCS, tAS, and tRNS). A key portion of research also involves brain computer interfaces, using electroencephalography (EEG), electromyography (EMG), and virtual reality (VR). Research will also entail working with a number of community and clinical partners throughout Los Angeles, California. More information about the NPNL can be found at NPNL.

The ideal candidate should have, or will soon have, a doctoral degree in a relevant scientific discipline for the Postdoctoral Fellowship. The successful applicant should be highly motivated, organized, quick to learn, and possess strong written and verbal communication skills. Technical knowledge with Matlab and other programming languages (python, Linux, C++, C#) and environments (Unity), an understanding of research methodology, and experience with neuroimaging, brain computer interfaces, and/or brain stimulation data acquisition and analysis is strongly preferred.

This position is a full-time, one-year (renewable) position, preferably with a two-year commitment, and can start as early as April/May 2016.

For further information about these positions or to apply, please send a brief cover letter and CV to Sook-Lei Liew, PhD, OTR/L at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

USC Ostrow Research Day

Mar 23, 2016

We’re very proud of our two NPNL lab members who presented their research at the USC Ostrow Research day:

Lily Ito, MA-II student: “Lateralizaton of action observation network activity after stroke” &
Taisei Sugiyama, PhD student: “Comparisons between virtual reality and conventional motor training in healthy adults”

Special congratulations to Lily for being awarded Second Place best poster in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy!

Kaori Ito to present at AOTA

Jan 22, 2016

We are excited to announce that Kaori Ito will be attending the AOTA conference in Chicago presenting a poster titled “Does mirror therapy improve motor function after stroke?” on a Michele Berro AOTA Award!

Dr. Sook-Lei Liew receives an American Heart Association National Innovative Research Grant

Dec 8, 2015

We are excited to announce that Dr. Sook-Lei Liew was recently awarded a National Innovative Research Grant from the American Heart Association. The project, entitled “REINVENT: A Closed-Loop VR Neurofeedback System for Motor Recovery after Severe Stroke,” led by Liew, is in collaboration with excellent researchers and clinicians from USC’s Institute of Creative Technologies, University of Siena, Harvard University School of Medicine, Rancho Los Amigos, and Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing. Huge thanks to collaborators Dr. David Krum (ICT), Dr. Tyler Ard (ICT), Dr. Emiliano Santarnecchi (Siena/Harvard), Bertha Cabral (OTR/L, Rancho), Remy Chu (OTR/L, Rancho), and Davis Park (FPCIW), as well as to many people from USC OS/OT who helped with the grant development and gave helpful feedback, especially Patty Gutierrez, Dr. Cheryl Vigen, and NPNL lab member Julia Anglin!

The goal of the project is to develop and test a novel portable, closed-loop brain computer interface in immersive virtual reality for individuals with severe stroke. If you or someone you know has had a stroke with severe motor impairments and would be interested in finding out more about this study, please contact us.  We look forward to sharing our progress with you!