Faculty

Emily A. Keshner
P.T., Ed.D.

Professor and Chair, Department of Physical Therapy
Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Adjunct Professor:
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

Dr. Keshner is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Therapy. She received her BS in Dance Education from New York University then completed her physical therapy education at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She received a MS in Special Education from Teachers College, Columbia University and then completed her doctoral degree in Movement Science and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Dr. Keshner’s research interests have evolved from simple analyses of the kinematics of automatic postural reactions to determining how the central nervous system computes the neural and biomechanical components of motion. Her landmark studies on neural control mechanisms of the human head and neck examine frequency and kinematic characteristics in an attempt to distinguish the relative contributions of the neural and biomechanical mechanisms of head stabilization. Investigators trying to identify the mechanisms controlling head stability during functional activities reference these studies. Her work is internationally recognized and she has held numerous federal grants for her research. She is currently funded by both the National Institute for Aging and the National Institute for Deafness and Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Keshner has organized and presented at international meetings as well as published extensively in scientific journals that include the Journal of Neurophysiology, Experimental Brain Research, and the Journal of Vestibular Research. She has also contributed chapters about postural control and control of the head and neck for textbooks. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation and serves on the Editorial Board of Gait and Posture.

Dr. Keshner’s research is performed in the Virtual Reality and Postural Orientation Laboratory which was developed for both experimental and clinical testing of postural reactions within a simulated dynamic visual environment. This is the only laboratory of its kind in the US. With this environment she can examine compensation and adaptation of postural responses during natural dynamic visual disturbances in healthy individuals and in patients with neurologic disorders.

Education:
BS, New York University, NY
Certificate in Physical Therapy, Columbia University, NY
Ed.D., Columbia University, NY

Research:
My research helps to understand how the central nervous system calculates the neural and biomechanical components of complex, whole body movements when engaged in postural and orientation tasks. Although I approach my research design as a basic scientist, the endpoint of all my research has direct application to the understanding and rehabilitation of clinical disorders. The goal of this research is to develop new treatment interventions which will effectively reduce instability and falls in aging and clinical populations.
In my laboratory we examine the influences of visual perception on posture and spatial orientation. I have created the Virtual Environment and Postural Orientation Laboratory for both experimental and clinical testing of postural reactions within a simulated dynamic visual environment. The approach in this laboratory is to examine both automatic and reaction-time balance adjustments within natural visual conditions and during multi-tasking paradigms. We study several populations including healthy adults and those with balance problems and central nervous system disorders such as stroke, to understand how the control parameters change with age and neurological deficit.

Selected Publications

1. Keshner, E.A. (1981). Reevaluating the theoretical model underlying the neurodevelopmental treatment approach. Physical Therapy, 61: 1035 1040

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2. Keshner, E.A., Allum, J.H.J., and Pfaltz, C.R. (1987). Postural coactivation and adaptation in the sway stabilizing responses of normals and patients with bilateral peripheral vestibular deficit. Experimental Brain Research, 69: 77 92.

3. Keshner, E.A., Woollacott, M.H., and Debu, B. (1988). Neck, trunk and limb muscle responses during postural perturbations in humans. Experimental Brain Research, 71: 455 466.

4. Keshner, E.A. and Peterson, B.W. (1995). Mechanisms controlling human head stability: I. Head-neck dynamics during random rotations in the horizontal plane. Journal of Neurophysiology, 73: 2293-2301.

5. Keshner, E.A., Statler, K.D., and Delp, S.L. (1997). Kinematics of the freely moving head and neck in the alert cat. Experimental Brain Research, 115: 257-266.

6. Keshner, E.A. and Kenyon R.V. (2000). The influence of an immersive virtual environment on the segmental organization of postural stabilizing responses. Journal of Vestibular Research, 10: 201-219.

7. Chen K.C., Keshner E.A., Peterson B.W., and Hain T.C. (2002). Modeling head tracking of visual targets. Journal of Vestibular Research, 12: 25-33.

8. Statler K.D. and Keshner E.A. (2002). Effects of inertial load and cervical spine orientation on a head tracking task in the alert cat. Experimental Brain Research, 148:202-210. Online publication: DOI 10.1007/s00221-002-1298-z.

9. Keshner E.A. (2003). Head-trunk coordination during linear anterior-posterior translations. Journal of Neurophysiology, 89: 1891-1901.

10. Keshner, E.A., Kenyon, R.V, and Langston, J. (2004). Postural responses exhibit intra-modal dependencies with discordant visual and support surface motion. Journal of Vestibular Research, 14: 307-319.

11. Keshner, E.A. (2004) Head-trunk coordination in elderly subjects during linear anterior-posterior translations. Experimental Brain Research, 158: 213-222. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00221-004-1893-2.

12. Keshner, E.A. and Kenyon, R.V. (2004). Using immersive technology for postural research and rehabilitation. Assistive Technology, 16:54-62.

13. Gurses, S, Dhaher, Y, Hain, TC, and Keshner, E.A. (2005). Perturbation parameters associated with nonlinear responses of the head at small amplitudes. Chaos, 023905, 15. Cited in the Virtual Journal of Biological Physics Research (http://www.vjbio.org).

14. Keshner, EA, Dokka, K, and Kenyon, RV (2006). Influences of the perception of self-motion on Postural parameters in a dynamic visual environment. Cyberpsychology and Behavior 9:163-166.

15. Streepey, J, Kenyon, RV, and Keshner, E.A. (2006). Field of view and base of support width influence postural responses to visual stimuli during quiet stance. Gait and Posture, in press.

16. Keshner, E.A. (2005). Motor control of the cervical spine. In J. Boyling and G. Jull (eds.) Grieve’s Modern Manual Therapy of the Vertebral Column, Harcourt Health Sciences, Edinburgh, pp. 105-117.

17. Keshner, E.A. (2006). Postural abnormalities in vestibular disorders. In S. Herdman (ed.), Vestibular Rehabilitation, Vol. 3. F.A. Davis Co., Philadelphia, PA, in press.