OHSU

BME People

Fay Horak

E-mail:  horakf@ohsu.edu
Phone:  503-418-2500
Fax:  503-418-2501
Web Site: http://www.ohsu.edu/nsi/faculty/horakf/

Current Appointments
Professor, Neurology and Physiology/Pharmacology
Joint Professor, Division of Biomedical Engineering
Department(s)
Dept. of Physiology and Pharmacology
Dept. of Neurology
Research Interests
Horak Lab Slides


Dr. Horak studies neurological disorders that effect balance and gait in the elderly, people with Parkinson's disease, diabetic neuropathy, vestibular injury or disease, cerebellar ataxia, and back pain She examines how motor signals sent to muscles and sensory information about body position interact to maintain a person's balance while standing or walking. Diseases or injury that damage the motor (e.g. Parkinson's disease) or sensory (e.g., vestibular injury, diabetic peripheral neuropathy) pathways can disrupt balance. In the Balance Disorders Laboratory a person's balance is tested by having him/her stand on a movable force platform during a surface perturbation (simulated fall). Muscle activities, surface forces, and whole body motion quantify how the brain coordinates automatic balancing movements.The insights Dr. Horak has gained about the nervous system has allowed her to develop innovative approaches to the diagnosis and rehabilitation of patients with disequilibrium, dizziness, and dyscoordination. Her work has revolutionized the rehabilitation of balance disorders by physical therapists.

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Research Group(s)
Selected Publications
  • Oates, A.R., Frank, J.S., Patla, A.E., Horak, F.B.
    Control of dynamic stability during gait termination on a slippery surface in Parkinson's disease.
    Movement Disorders, 23(14): 1977-1983, 2008.

  • Creath, R., Kiemel, T., Horak, F.B., Jeka, J.J.
    The role of vestibular and somatosensory systems in intersegmental control of upright stance.
    Journal of Vestibular Research. 18(1) 39-49, 2008.

  • Jacobs, J.V., Fujiwara, K., Tomita, H., Furune, N., Kunita, K., Horak, F.B.
    Changes in the activity of the cerebral cortex relate to improved stability of postural responses when warned of a perturbation.
    Clinical Neuro Phys Jun; 119(6):1431-1442, 2008.
    PMCID: PMC244373

  • Cameron, M., Horak, F.B., Herndon, R.R.
    Imbalance in multiple sclerosis: a result of slowed spinal somatosensory conduction.
    Somatosensory and Motor Research. 25(2): 113-22, 2008.
    PMID: 18570015

  • Mancini, M., Rocchi, L.,Horak, F.B.,Chiari, L.
    Effects of Parkinson's disease and levodopa on functional limits of stability.
    Clinical Biomechanics 23:450-458, 2008.

  • Van Ooteghem, K., Frank, J.S., Allard, F.,Buchanan, J., Oates, A.R., Horak, F.B.
    Compensatory postural adaptations during continuous, variable amplitude perturbations reveal generalized rather than sequence-specific learning.
    Experimental Brain Research 187(4): 603-11, 2008.

  • King, L.A., Horak, F.B.
    Lateral stepping for postural correction in Parkinson's disease.
    Arch Phys Med 89 :492-499, 2008.

  • Wright W.G., Gurfinkel V.S., Nutt J., Horak F.B., Cordo P.J.
    Axial hypertonicity in Parkinson's disease: Direct measurements of trunk and hip torque.
    Exp Neurol (1) : 38-46, 2008.
    PMCID: PMC2144734

Research Group Director