Steve I. Perlmutter

powered by
COS Expertise®
University of Washington
School of Medicine
Physiology and Biophysics
Research Associate Professor
University of Washington
Wasington National Primate Research Center
Research Affiliate

Mailing Address

Box 357330
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington 98195
United States

Contact Information

Phone: (206) 616-8520
Fax: (206) 685-0305
perl@u.washington.edu

Qualifications

Ph.D., Northwestern University, Neuroscience, 1991.
M.S., University of California, Los Angeles, Biomedical Engineering, 1982.
B.Sc., Brown University, 1979.

Expertise and Research Interests

My lab is interested in the neural control of voluntary movement. Primates generate an incredibly varied repertoire of motor behaviors. How does the nervous system accomplish this flexibility? Our focus is on the neural computation performed by the spinal cord and cerebral cortex to generate skillful movements of the arm and hand.

Information about the intended goal of a movement must be transformed into a spatial and temporal pattern of muscle activity, a "motor pattern", to implement an appropriate behavior. Cortical and spinal pathways generate patterns of muscle activity by integrating signals specifying behavioral intent, the state of the musculoskeletal system, and external constraints and loads. This transformation is dynamic and eminently plastic. We are studying how the brain and spinal cord achieve these transformations.

My interest in this field is motivated by its relevance to clinical issues of motor impairment and recovery of function following central nervous system damage. Abnormal patterns of muscle activation following central nervous system injury contribute to weakness and loss of coordination. We would like to understand the capacity of lesioned motor systems for neural plasticity and adaptation, and to develop strategies that exploit this potential to improve function. One approach to these problems is to use brain computer interfaces that employ cortically-driven, targeted stimulation of muscles, spinal cord or brain regions to produce functional movements or promote plasticity in damaged pathways. We believe this type of stimulation will prove effective in facilitating functional recovery following spinal cord injury and stroke.

Keywords

COS Keywords:

Biophysics, Human Physiology, Nervous System, Neurobiology, Sleep Disorders.

Additional Terms:

Brain-Computer Interface, Motor Control, Motor Cortex, Muscle, Nervous System, Neurobiology, Spinal Cord.

Memberships

American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Physiological Society
Society for Neuroscience
Society for the Neural Control of Movement

Funding Received

  • Binational Science Foundation: Research Grant, 2008 to 2012.
  • Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation: Research Grant, 2004 to 2006.
  • National Institutes of Health (NIH): FIRST and R01 awards, 1997 to .
  • American Paralysis Association: Research Grants, 1994 to 1996.

Publications

  • Perlmutter, SI (2009) Primate Interneurons In Squire LR (eds), Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, Oxford: Academic Press, 1045-1054 pages (bookchapter)
  • Moritz CT, Perlmutter SI, Fetz EE (Dec 2008) Direct control of paralysed muscles by cortical neurons., Nature, 456 (7222), 639-42 Abstract
  • Lasiene J, Shupe L, Perlmutter S, Horner P (Apr 2008) No evidence for chronic demyelination in spared axons after spinal cord injury in a mouse., The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 28 (15), 3887-96 Abstract
  • Moritz CT, Lucas TH, Perlmutter SI, Fetz EE (Jan 2007) Forelimb movements and muscle responses evoked by microstimulation of cervical spinal cord in sedated monkeys., Journal of neurophysiology, 97 (1), 110-20 Abstract
  • Seki K, Perlmutter SI, Fetz EE, Sensory input to primate spinal cord is presynaptically inhibited during voluntary movement, Nature Neuroscience, 6(12), 1309-16, Dec 2003 Abstract
  • Prut Y, Perlmutter SI, Firing properties of spinal interneurons during voluntary movement. I. State-dependent regularity of firing, The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience., 23(29), 9600-10, Oct 2003 Abstract
  • Prut Y, Perlmutter SI, Firing properties of spinal interneurons during voluntary movement. II. Interactions between spinal neurons, The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience., 23(29), 9611-9, Oct 2003 Abstract
  • Fetz EE, Perlmutter SI, Prut Y, Seki K, Votaw S, Roles of primate spinal interneurons in preparation and execution of voluntary hand movement, Brain Research. Brain Research Reviews, 40(1-3), 53-65, Oct 2002 Abstract
  • Fetz EE, Perlmutter SI, Prut Y, Seki K, Functional properties of primate spinal interneurones during voluntary hand movements, Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 508, 265-71, 2002 Abstract
  • Prut Y, Perlmutter SI, Fetz EE, Distributed processing in the motor system: spinal cord perspective, Progress in Brain Research, 130, 267-78, 2001 Abstract
  • Perlmutter SI, Prut Y, Transformation of descending commands into muscle activity by spinal interneurons in behaving primates, In: Motor Neurobiology of the Spinal Cord, T.C. Cope (ed), CRC Press, London, 193-213, 2001
  • Fetz EE, Perlmutter SI, Prut Y, Functions of mammalian spinal interneurons during movement, Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 10(6), 699-707, December 2000 Abstract
  • Perlmutter SI, Iwamoto Y, Baker JF, Peterson BW, Spatial alignment of rotational and static tilt responses of vestibulospinal neurons in the cat, Journal of Neurophysiology, 82(2), 855-62, August 1999 Abstract
  • Fetz EE, Perlmutter SI, Prut Y, Maier MA, Primate spinal interneurons: muscle fields and response properties during voluntary movement., Prog Brain Res, 123, 323-30, 1999 Abstract
  • Perlmutter SI, Maier MA, Fetz EE, Activity of spinal interneurons and their effects on forearm muscles during voluntary wrist movements in the monkey, Journal of Neurophysiology, 80(5), 2475-94, November 1998 Abstract
  • Maier MA, Perlmutter SI, Fetz EE, Response patterns and force relations of monkey spinal interneurons during active wrist movement, Journal of Neurophysiology, 80(5), 2495-513, November 1998 Abstract
  • Perlmutter SI, Iwamoto Y, Baker JF, Peterson, BW, Interdependence of spatial properties and projection patterns of medial vestibulospinal tract neurons in the cat, Journal of Neurophysiology, 79, 270-284, 1998
  • Perlmutter SI, Iwamoto Y, Baker JF, Peterson BW, Relation between axon morphology in C1 spinal cord and spatial properties of medial vestibulospinal tract neurons in the cat, Journal of Neurophysiology, 79, 285-303, 1998
  • Fetz E E, Perlmutter S I, Maier M A, Flament D, Fortier P A, Response patterns and postspike effects of premotor neurons in cervical spinal cord of behaving monkeys, Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 74(4), 531-46, April 1996 Abstract
  • Iwamoto Y, Perlmutter S I, Baker J F, Peterson B W, Spatial coordination by descending vestibular signals. 2. Response properties of medial and lateral vestibulospinal tract neurons in alert and decerebrate cats., Experimental Brain Research, 108(1), 85-100, February 1996 Abstract
  • Perlmutter SI, Eldred E, Effects of high-frequency (500-600 Hz), antidromic stimulation on primary and secondary spindle afferents, Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, 3, 41-50, 1993
  • Peterson B W, Baker J F, Perlmutter S I, Iwamoto Y, Neuronal substrates of spatial transformations in vestibuloocular and vestibulocollic reflexes., Annals of The New York Academy of Sciences, 656, 485-99, 22 May 1992 Abstract
  • Fukushima K, Perlmutter S I, Baker J F, Peterson B W, Spatial properties of second-order vestibulo-ocular relay neurons in the alert cat., Experimental Brain Research, 81(3), 462-78, 1990 Abstract
  • Eldred E, Perlmutter SI, Post-stimulation effects of high-frequency stimulation on sensory discharge from muscle, American Journal of Physical Medicine, 66(5), 287-97, Oct 1987 Abstract
  • Baker JF, Perlmutter SI, Peterson BW, Rude SA, Robinson FR, Simultaneous opposing adaptive changes in cat vestibulo-ocular reflex direction for two body orientations, Experimental Brain Research, 69(1), 220-4, 1987 Abstract

Profile Details

Last Verified: 3/10/2009

COS Expertise ID #119997
Reference this profile directly: http://myprofile.cos.com/perlmu974