MoveExLab Facility

ABIRA has access to a range of research facilities in both Norwich and Cambridge. The facilities enable ABIRA to optimise resources into the study of rehabilitation following brain injury through disease or trauma.  Further information can be found here.

MoveExLab Facility

As part of the University of East Anglia’s Health Sciences Faculty, the MoveExLab has three cohesive laboratory areas: Neurophysiology, Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology.

The equipment in each area enables researchers to make sensitive and objective measurements about how the human body responds during the execution of a given task. These measurements range from a person’s musculoskeletal/joint activity, their central nervous movement control and their rate of oxygen consumption when performing physical activity.

The data that is collected comes from a variety of everyday activities such as walking, standing up from a chair and picking up a cup. Other activities such as running, cycling and balancing tasks are also used in order to produce comprehensive results and conclusions.

Neurophysiology  Laboratory

The neurophysiology lab focuses on very specific measurements that relate to information about how the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) is controlling movement.  Techniques such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Electromyography (EMG) measurements are used. The equipment used in this lab has been purchased from world leading manufactures in the area of Neurophysiology, which gives researchers a greater opportunity to look at these measurements in greater depth. Key equipment includes:

• Delsys Trigno Wireless EMG system
• Rapid2-biphasic TMS system
• Magstim200 TMS system
• Biometrics EMG system.

Biomechanics Laboratory

The biomechanics lab focuses on large movements such as gait and balance. Measurements such as force, centre of mass and joint angles are obtained whilst people are performing normal everyday activities such as walking (gait) or standing up from a chair. The equipment used in this lab has been purchased from world leading manufactures in the area of biomechanics, which gives researchers a greater opportunity to look at these measurements in greater depth.  Key equipment includes:

• VICON 8 Camera Motion Capture System
• Codamotion Motion Capture System
• 3 x Bertec Forceplates
• Cybex Isokinetic Dynamometer

Exercise Physiology Laboratory

The exercise physiology lab focuses on the impact exercise has on the rehabilitation process after a brain injury has occurred. Research in this lab also looks at physiological aspects such as VO2 max and body composition with relation to stroke and other brain injuries.

The lab has been used as an exercise studio/gym during specific studies in the past and hosts a range of exercise equipment for use in rehabilitation studies,  The equipment used in this lab has been purchased from world leading manufactures in the area of exercise physiology, which gives researchers a greater opportunity to look at these measurements in greater depth.  Key equipment includes:

• Medical Graphics VO2 MAX system
• 2 x HP Cosmos Treadmills
• 4 x Monark 839E Peak Bikes
• 2 x Concept2 Rowers
• Blood pressure and heart rate monitors
• K Body Composition system
• Basic resistance equipment