Research

Dr. Abraham studies the coordination of human movement, with particular emphasis on the interaction of neural and mechanical mechanisms. He is interested in applications in sport, in microgravity, and in clinical rehabilitation. Experimental techniques include obtaining kinematic, dynamic, and electromyographic measures as well as using musculoskeletal modeling to study optimal performance. Recent research efforts have addressed mechanisms underlying muscle spasticity following head injury or spinal cord injury, interactions between reflex and voluntary motor performance, and technical aspects of elite sport performance. Current projects include studying neural mechanisms underlying fatigue and investigating mechanisms of fine motor control (finger pinching) as influenced by age, disease, fatigue, and practice.