Dr. Shailesh Kantak, assistant professor of Physical Therapy, published his study “Differential effects of internal versus external focus of instruction on action planning and performance in patients with right and left hemispheric stroke” in August 2020 edition of Human Movement Science. The article, co-authored by Dr. Kantak’s assistants Tessa Johnson and William Marsh at the Neuroplasticity and Motor Behavior Lab of the Moss Rehabilitation Research Institute, examines methods to advance the recovery of patients who have experienced a stroke. 

Their research explores how the location of a stroke may impede one’s ability to execute cognitive motor planning and coordination, and the effectiveness of different instruction techniques in physical therapy settings. Their findings suggest that using external focus instruction may better assist the recovery process of patients who have suffered damage in their left brain hemisphere. 

The project was funded by a two-year National Institutes of Health grant awarded to Dr. Kantak in 2017.