This is an exploratory study and the information obtained may lead to new findings regarding the inflammatory and neurodegenerative mechanisms in the progression of PD and help to develop new drugs to halt the disease progression. The study simply involves a one time blood draw.

Over many years, we have learnt that the brain's connections with the spinal cord change in response to injury or training. Because brain-spinal cord (i.e., corticospinal) pathways are very important in movement control, restoring function of these pathways could help to restore useful movement after spinal cord injury (SCI). In this project, we hypothesize that operant conditioning training of the muscle response to non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation can strengthen the functional connectivity of corticospinal pathways and thereby alleviate movement problems in people with chronic incomplete SCI. This study will require about 38 visits over the first 3 months, and another 4 visits over an additional 3 months. Each visit will take about an hour.

Spinal reflexes take important part in our movement. After spinal cord injury (SCI), reflexes often change. For many years, researchers and doctors have assumed that abnormally acting spinal reflexes lead to movement problems, without clear scientific evidence. For example, in people who suffer spasticity, a common problem after SCI, walking is disturbed, presumably because stretch reflexes (e.g., knee jerk reflex) and some other reflexes are not working well. Yet, which reflex is causing a problem in what way has not been well understood. Such understanding is very important in developing and applying effective therapies for improving gait recovery after SCI. Therefore, in this project, we are studying spinal stretch reflexes and other reflexes during walking, to understand how these reflexes contribute to spastic gait problems in people with chronic incomplete SCI. Successful completion of this project will result in better understanding of spastic gait problems, which in turn, will help us develop more effective therapy application and improve the quality of life in people after SCI.

Walking after a lower extremity amputation is often difficult. It is important that researchers and clinicians understand the mechanisms that inhibit normal walking function. In this study, we are recruiting individuals with lower extremity limb loss for a walking and balance investigation. We will also be studying matched healthy controls to do similar study procedures. All study procedures will occur on the campus of MUSC by a licensed Physical Therapist and experienced researcher. Any questions should be directed to the coordinator listed.

Hand disability after stroke has a profound negative impact on functional ability and independence. Hand therapy may be augmented with sensory stimulation for better outcomes. We have developed a novel sensory stimulation - unfelt vibration applied via a wristwatch. Participants will receive this novel stimulation with hand task practice therapy or therapy only to determine if use of this stimulation is better for recovery.

The purpose of the first portion of this study is to gather feedback from clinicians on the usability of the current system and procedure, so the researchers can make reflex training more useful and usable for improving recovery after spinal cord injury or other nervous system injuries and diseases. The researchers are recruiting 20 therapists who have been actively practicing physical medicine and 30 adults with no known neurological conditions to test system usability and the reflex operant conditioning protocol. For this portion of the study, there are 5 visits. We will also recruit 15 adults with no neurological injuries, 15 adults with neuropathic pain, and 15 adults with non-neuropathic pain to participate in one visit to provide feedback on sensation caused by stimulating electrodes.

The purpose of the second part of the study is to validate the capacity of the system to change the size of the targeted reflex. For this the researchers are recruiting 25 individuals with chronic incomplete SCI who have spasticity in the leg to participate in the reflex training procedure. The study involves approximately 45 visits with a total study duration of about 6 months.

The purpose of this research study is to identify brain activation patterns in response to deep brain stimulation (DBS). To participate in this study, participants are required to have had a DBS implant or to be healthy controls without a history of a neurological disorder. Participants will undergo screening, a motor assessment session and a 30-minute Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) session where their DBS device will be turned on and off in a cycled pattern. This study will be separated over 3 visits (Visit 1 for screening, Visit 2 for motor assessments and Visit 3 for the MRI scans). The total study duration will be approximately 5 hours.

Sensory stimulation has been shown to enhance rehabilitation outcomes. However, most sensory stimulation devices interfere with natural hand tasks. Thus, a new wearable stimulation device has been developed to deliver imperceptible vibration to wrist skin. This study is to evaluate the community use of the device for patients with neurologic movement disorders. Participation will include wearing the provided device and charging the device every night. The knowledge regarding community use of the device may contribute to improving the device functionality and usability for future users of the device.

The purpose of this study is to develop and test if upper limb task practice and muscle activity training improve upper limb function in stroke survivors. Participants will be asked to come to the laboratory 3 times a week for 6 weeks to receive upper limb task practice and/or muscle activity training. Participants will also come to the laboratory for additional 3 visits for assessments of upper extremity function. The total duration of the study will be 2.5 months.

For this study, we are recruiting 54 individuals with Parkinson's Disease and Freezing of Gait (FOG) who are planning to undergo Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). The objective of this study is to better understand the FOG response to DBS. Prior to DBS study participants will undergo a MRI scan, behavioral assessment related to walking, a cognitive evaluation, and assessment of other Parkinson's disease symptoms. Following DBS participants will repeat these assessments at multiple timepoints over the period of one year. Overall, participants will complete a total of 7 visits over a period of approximately 1 year.