Grand Rounds Seminars
Please join us for our upcoming Grand Rounds Seminars! Seminars will specify whether they are available for participation via Zoom, in-person, or both.
The seminar on April 2, 2025 will be in-person & online.
Webinar Link: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/99391201858
Meeting ID: 993 9120 1858
In-person Location: NUPTHMS- 645 N. Michigan Ave. | Rm. 800 (8th floor)
April 2, 2025 | 12:00pm (CST)
Anthony Carlsen, PhD
Title: Reticulospinal Contributions to Voluntary Movement: Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential
Bio: Dr. Anthony Carlsen, PhD, earned his PhD from the University of British Columbia in 2008 before completing a two-year NSERC-funded postdoctoral fellowship at Northwestern University. He is now a Full Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Ottawa. His research focuses on understanding the brain structures and processes involved in movement preparation and how modulating this activity can enhance performance and function. Using advanced brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), his work examines brain activation patterns leading up to movement initiation. He has published extensively in this area and holds operating grants from both the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR). Dr. Carlsen has been recognized for his contributions to the field, receiving the Franklin Henry Young Scientist Award from the Canadian Society for Psychomotor Learning and Sport Psychology (SCAPPS) and the Early Career Distinguished Scholar Award from NASPSPA. Outside the lab, he can often be found running along the world heritage site Rideau Canal, striving to maintain his endurance and speed advantage over his graduate students.
Abstract: The reticulospinal tract has long been recognized as a key contributor to human movement, traditionally thought to be limited to controlling gross musculature and automatic functions such as postural stability. However, over the past two decades, our understanding of its role has evolved, with growing evidence supporting its significant involvement in complex voluntary actions. This presentation will highlight recent advances in our knowledge of reticulospinal circuit function across different movement types and demonstrate how the startle reflex can serve as a non-invasive tool to quantify these contributions. Additionally, we will explore the potential to harness the reticulospinal system to enhance voluntary motor output, offering promising therapeutic implications for stroke rehabilitation and other motor disorders.
Upcoming Grand Rounds Seminars
Anthony Carlsen, PhD
Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Ottawa
Wed. April 2, 2025
Bea Jimenez and Rachel Ellen Goc
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Wed. May 7, 2025