Balance Disorders Laboratory
Helping people move better so they can live confidently and independently
Staying upright and steady might seem simple, but it’s one of the most complex tasks the brain and body perform every day.
At the Balance Disorders Laboratory, we study how sensory feedback and motor signals work together to keep people balanced. We also look at what happens when these systems break down because of conditions like Parkinson’s disease and mild traumatic brain injury.
We go beyond understanding what happens in the brain and body when balance is disrupted. We develop rehabilitation strategies, including advanced balance training. We also use leading-edge brain imaging tools like functional near-infrared spectroscopy to see what works for people with balance disorders.
On this page you can:
Lab news
Here's how exercise improves the mobility of people with Parkinson's disease: A KATU article features an interview with OHSU’s Fay Horak, Ph.D., PT
Podcast: Freezing, moving and cueing – understanding gait and Parkinson’s disease: A podcast features OHSU’s Martina Mancini, Ph.D.
Parkinson's Disease, Freezing of Gait and Walking Automaticity: Blog post by Dr. Mancini for the World Parkinson's Coalition.
Research projects
Our research spans three interconnected areas aimed at understanding and improving balance and mobility.
Objective measures of balance and gait
Our team leads the way in developing tools to measure balance and gait in real-world settings. We were among the first to show that wearable sensors can capture gait patterns and characteristics of turning in daily life.
Our work allows precise assessment and remote monitoring so we can tailor rehabilitation to each person, improving outcomes.
Neural mechanisms underlying balance and gait control
Sophisticated tests help us clarify how cortical activity and sensorimotor integration contribute to postural control and mobility. Our goal is to guide rehabilitation.
For example, we use functional near-infrared spectroscopy to examine cortical correlates of gait and balance in older adults and in people with Parkinson’s disease.
We use a central sensorimotor integration test to understand how sensory and motor systems interact to maintain stability.
Balance and gait rehabilitation
We’re redefining rehabilitation by creating therapies that help people regain stability and confidence in everyday life. Our research focuses on practical, evidence-based interventions tailored to the unique challenges of Parkinson’s disease and mild traumatic brain injury.
Our goal is to turn leading-edge research into real-world solutions that improve quality of life.
Solutions for patients with Parkinson’s disease:
- Turning rehabilitation: Specialized training programs improve turning in people with and without freezing of gait.
- Balance telerehabilitation: Remote balance training makes therapy more accessible and convenient.
- Tactile feedback for gait: Wearable sensors provide real-time tactile cues to enhance walking performance.
Solutions for people with mild traumatic brain injury:
- Real-time biofeedback for vestibular rehabilitation: Feedback from wearable sensors supports recovery from balance problems caused by concussions.
- Sensory-versus-motor rehabilitation: We’re comparing standard sensory-based care with novel motor-focused approaches to improve balance and speed recovery.
Publications
In People with Subacute Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Earlier Physical Therapy Improved Symptoms at a Faster Rate Than Later Physical Therapy: Randomized Controlled Trial
Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Physical Therapy Association, 2024
Campbell KR, Antonellis P, Peterka RJ, Wilhelm JL, Scanlan KT, Pettigrew NC, Chen S, Parrington L, Fino PC, Chesnutt JC, Horak FB, Hullar TE, King LA
Exercise Intolerance After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Occurs in All Subtypes in the Adult Population
Journal of Neurotrauma, 2024
Antonellis P, Campbell KR, Wilhelm JL, Shaw JD, Chesnutt JC, King LA
Central sensorimotor integration assessment reveals deficits in standing balance control in people with chronic mild traumatic brain injury
Frontiers in Neurology, 2022
Campbell KR, King LA, Parrington L, Fino PC, Antonellis P, Peterka RJ
Personalized versus fixed tactile cueing in Parkinson's disease: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial on gait automaticity
PLOS One, 2025
Burgos PI, Liu W, Silva-Batista C, Baker-Alcalá F, Carlson-Kuhta P, King LA, Horak FB, Chung KA, Lapidus JA, Mancini M
Balance telerehabilitation and wearable technology for people with Parkinson's disease (TelePD trial)
BMC Neurology, 2023
Silva-Batista C, Wilhelm JL, Scanlan KT, Stojak M, Carlson-Kuhta P, Chen S, Liu W, García de la Huerta TN, Horak FB, Mancini M, King LA
TURN-IT: a novel turning intervention program to improve quality of turning in daily life in people with Parkinson's disease
BMC Neurology, 2022
King LA, Carlson-Kuhta P, Wilhelm JL, Lapidus JA, Dale ML, Talman LS, Barlow N, Mancini M, Horak FB
People
Scientific adviser
Lab manager
Research physical therapists
Postdoctoral fellows
- Masoud Abdollahi, Ph.D.
- Carla da Silva Batista, Ph.D.
- Jennifer Brodsky, Ph.D., D.P.T.
- Jae Lee, Ph.D.
- Jumes Leopoldino Oliveira Lira, Ph.D.
- Maryam Sadeghi, Ph.D.
Research engineers
- William Liu, M.S.
- Vrutangkumar Shah, Ph.D.
Research associate
- Graham Harker, M.P.H.
Research coordinators
- Brecklyn Beighle, B.S.
- Victor Ouellet Massicotte, B.S.
- Irene Robinson, M.S., OTR/L, CSRS
- Margaret Stojak, M.S.
Graduate students
- Rui Lin, M.S.
- Keiko Tsuji, B.S.
Contact us
Email us at balance@ohsu.edu
For patients: Interested in joining a study?
Fill out our survey to see if you qualify for a clinical trial.
Current studies
- Study in Parkinson Disease of Exercise (SPARX3)
- Digital Markers of Mobility in Daily Life to Track Progression in Newly Diagnosed Parkinson’s Disease
- Recruiting for a Study to Reduce Freezing of Gait and Improve Mobility!
- Balance Telerehabilitation for People with Parkinson’s Disease
- Cortical Correlates of Gait Automaticity in Parkinson’s Disease: Impact of Medication and Cueing