Carolynn Patten, Ph.D., P.T., F.A.P.T.A.
Director and Professor, Biomechanics, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Neuroscience (BRaIN) Lab
Co-Director, Center for Neuroengineering and Medicine
Locations and Contact
4860 Y St.
Sacramento, CA 95817
Additional Numbers
Clinic Phone
Clinic Phone
Clinic Fax
Physician Referrals
Clinical Interests
Dr. Patten is a neuroscientist and physical therapist who specializes in assessment and treatment of motor dysfunction associated with aging and adult neuropathologies, such as stroke. She directs the UC Davis Biomechanics, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Neuroscience (BRaIN) Lab and Co-Leads the UC Davis Center for Neuro Engineering and Medicine.
Research/Academic Interests
Dr. Patten’s research focuses on understanding the neural basis of human movement, investigating human motor control and learning from a perspective of neuromechanics. Using concurrent behavioral and neurophysiological methods, her laboratory has developed techniques sensitive to motor impairment. An emphasis of the lab’s current work is identification of biomarkers to predict motor recovery following stroke and the critical factors that contribute to rehabilitation efficacy. To achieve these goals, projects in the BRaIN lab investigate: neural mechanisms and biomechanical consequences of CNS pathologies causing motor dysfunction; novel means to induce neuroplasticity and motor recovery; and individual differences in both the natural history of motor recovery and response to rehabilitation interventions.
Division
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Center/Program Affiliation
Undergraduate School
B.A., University of Washington, Seattle WA 1980
Medical School
M.S.P.T., Boston University, Boston MA 1992
Other School
Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst MA 1998
Fellowship
Post-doctoral Fellowship, Stanford University, VA Rehab Research Center, Stanford/Palo Alto CA 1998-2001
Research Career Scientist, VA Rehab R&D Service, 2015-2019, 2020
University of Florida Research Foundation Professor, University Florida, 2015-2017, 2018
Research Career Scientist, VA Rehab R&D Service, 2010-2014, 2015
Catherine Worthingham Fellow, American Physical Therapy Assistant, 2016
Deans Citation Paper Award, College of Public Health and Health Professor, University of Florida, 2014
Banks CL, Little VL, Walker ER, Patten C. Lower extremity long-latency reflexes differentiate walking function after stroke. Exp Brain Res. 2019 Oct;237(10):2595-2605. doi:10.1007/s00221-019-05614-y. Epub 2019 Aug 1. PMID:31372688.
Little VL, McGuirk TE, Patten C. Slower Than Normal Walking Speeds Involve a Pattern Shift in Joint and Temporal Coordination Contributions. Exp Brain Res. 2019 Sep 11. doi:10.1007/s00221-019-05648-2. PMID:31511954.
Ding Q, Triggs WJ, Kamath SM, Patten C. Short Intracortical Inhibition During Voluntary Movement Reveals Persistent Impairment Post-stroke. Front Neurol. 2019 Jan 4;9:1105. doi:10.3389/fneur.2018.01105. PMID:30662425.
Banks CL, Huang HJ, Little VL, Patten C. Electromyography Exposes Heterogeneity in Muscle Co-Contraction following Stroke. Front Neurol. 2017 Dec 22;8:699. doi:10.3389/fneur.2017.00699. PMID:29312124.
Banks CL, Pai MM, McGuirk TE, Fregly BJ, Patten C. Methodological Choices in Muscle Synergy Analysis Impact Differentiation of Physiological Characteristics Following Stroke. Front Comput Neurosci. 2017 Aug 31;11:78. doi:10.3389/fncom.2017.00078. PMID:28912707.
Phadke CP, Robertson CT, Patten C. Upper-extremity spinal reflex inhibition is reproducible and strongly related to grip force poststroke. Int J Neurosci. 2015 Jun;125(6):441-8. doi:10.3109/00207454.2014.946990. Epub 2014 Sep 3. PMID:25135282.
Little VL, McGuirk TE, Patten C. Impaired limb shortening following stroke: what's in a name? PLoS One. 2014 Oct 16;9(10):e110140. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0110140. PMID:25329317.
Clark DJ, Manini TM, Fielding RA, Patten C. Neuromuscular determinants of maximum walking speed in well-functioning older adults. Exp Gerontol. 2013 Mar;48(3):358-63. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2013.01.010. Epub 2013 Jan 29. PMID:23376102.
Patten C, Condliffe EG, Dairaghi CA, Lum PS. Concurrent neuromechanical and functional gains following upper-extremity power training post-stroke. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2013 Jan 21;10:1. doi:10.1186/1743-0003-10-1. PMID:23336711.
Clark DJ, Patten C. Eccentric versus concentric resistance training to enhance neuromuscular activation and walking speed following stroke. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2013 May;27(4):335-44. doi:10.1177/1545968312469833. Epub 2013 Jan 4. PMID:23292848.