Professor research guide
John E. Cahill Family Professor; Professor of Neurology and Neurological Sciences · Neurology and Neurological Sciences
Directs the Human Motor Control and Neuromodulation Laboratory, studying Parkinson’s disease through synchronized brain recordings, quantitative movement measurement and adaptive neuromodulation.
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Human Motor Control and Neuromodulation Laboratory: linking quantitative movement measurements with implanted subthalamic local field potentials and neuromodulation to understand Parkinson’s disease and develop personalized adaptive therapies.
5 lessons · ~27 minutes
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Research primer
5 lessons · ~27 minutes
An independent primer on Parkinson’s disease, quantitative movement analysis, subthalamic neural signals, beta oscillations, deep brain stimulation, adaptive DBS, gait decoding, and personalized neuromodulation, designed around research themes relevant to the Bronte-Stewart Lab.
Compare pre-movement beta desynchronization with interhemispheric coherence without inferring causation.
Distinguish beta power from threshold-defined burst duration.
Distinguish bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor and involuntary freezing of gait.
Describe DBS as circuit modulation for selected patients, rather than a cure.
Distinguish a local population LFP from single-neuron spikes and explain synchronized brain–behavior recording.
Explain per-person N2GNet prediction, independent testing and the limits of personalized neuromodulation evidence.
Interpret neural and wearable gait biomarkers within their measurement limits.
Compare open-loop and adaptive feedback while interpreting the seven-person gait study conservatively.
Explain how dopamine loss disrupts distributed motor circuits without reducing Parkinson’s to dopamine alone.
Explain what continuous kinematic measurements add to observation.
Brain 144(2):473–486 (online December 2020) · 2021
Kehnemouyi YM, Wilkins KB, Anidi CM, Anderson RW, Afzal MF, et al., Bronte-Stewart HM
Why this matters: Relates stimulation-associated changes in beta bursts to improved bradykinesia. The primer uses abstract-level evidence; an association does not establish a sole cause.
DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa394
Brain Commun 7(4):fcaf266 · 2025
Wilkins KB, Petrucci MN, Lambert EF, Melbourne JA, Gala AS, Akella P, Parisi L, Cui C, Kehnemouyi YM, Hoffman SL, Aditham S, Diep C, Dorris HJ, Parker JE, Herron JA, Bronte-Stewart HM
Why this matters: Seven-participant investigational beta-burst-driven adaptive DBS study. Gait/freezing improved relative to stimulation OFF; group outcomes were comparable to continuous and random-adaptive stimulation, without universal superiority.
DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaf266
npj Digit Med 8:7 · 2025
Choi JW, Cui C, Wilkins KB, Bronte-Stewart HM
Why this matters: N2GNet estimated gait from implanted STN LFPs in 18 participants, with later-visit testing and stimulation OFF. Offline prediction is not proof of mechanism or a validated therapy controller.
DOI: 10.1038/s41746-024-01364-6
Brain Commun 8(4):fcag245 · 2026
Seo G, Wilkins KB, Bronte-Stewart HM
Why this matters: In 16 participants, reduced pre-movement beta desynchronization was associated with worse motor performance across three tasks. This is distinct from beta power or burst duration.
DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcag245
Ann Neurol 93(5):1029–1039 · 2023
Wilkins KB, Kehnemouyi YM, Petrucci MN, Anderson RW, Parker JE, Trager MH, et al., Bronte-Stewart HM
Why this matters: Links bradykinesia and its progression with interhemispheric beta coherence over longitudinal observation. Coherence between signals differs from the power of a single signal; association is not causation.
DOI: 10.1002/ana.26605
Brain Stimul 19(1):103028 (letter / case report) · 2026
Cui C, Choi JW, Karjagi S, Wilkins KB, Negi A, Bronte-Stewart HM
Why this matters: One-person at-home case report compares four-week adaptive and continuous DBS periods with neural sensing and daily digitography. Feasibility and individual patterns cannot establish population-level superiority.
DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2026.103028
J Parkinsons Dis 12(6):1979–1990 · 2022
Wilkins KB, Petrucci MN, Kehnemouyi Y, Velisar A, Han K, Orthlieb G, Trager MH, O'Day JJ, Aditham S, Bronte-Stewart H
Why this matters: Quantitative digitography measured tapping timing, amplitude and rhythm in 96 people with Parkinson’s and 42 controls. Instrumented measurements complement clinical ratings without replacing them.
DOI: 10.3233/JPD-223264
J NeuroEng Rehabil 19:20 · 2022
O'Day J, Lee M, Seagers K, Hoffman S, Jih-Schiff A, Kidziński Ł, Delp S, Bronte-Stewart H
Why this matters: Evaluates wearable IMU locations for freezing detection and patient preference. Sensor placement and validation matter; detection alone is not evidence that treatment works.
DOI: 10.1186/s12984-022-00992-x