# Cortical Underpinnings of Gait and Falls in Aging: A Novel Brain-Body Imaging Approach

> **NIH NIH K01** · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2021 · $116,845

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The Candidate is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and Pediatrics at the Albert
Einstein College of Medicine. The proposed K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award will foster
the Candidate’s development as an independent translational researcher in the study of mobility decline in
aging with a focus on cortical contributions. The overall goal of the proposed application is to provide the
Candidate with training in advanced biomedical signal processing for integrated analysis of kinematic
and EEG neurophysiological recordings during walking, to provide clinical exposure to geriatric and
mobility assessment, and the design of longitudinal studies to help him achieve his long-term career
goal of establishing independence as a translational researcher in the neuro-epidemiologyof mobility
decline in aging. The Career Development Plan builds on the Candidate’s expertise in cognitive neuroscience
of aging, obtained through prior training in behavioral and EEG electrophysiological assessment of age-related
changes in cognitive and motor functions. A rigorous training plan is proposed, emphasizing formal instruction
and hands-on clinical and research experience in biomedical signal processing, fall risk assessment,
epidemiology, biostatistics, grant writing and research ethics. Training in advanced biomedical signal
processing to determine kinematic-EEG signals during walking will be obtained through courses and one-on-
one tutorials offered by the Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory at Einstein, the Biomedical Engineering
Department at the City College of New York, MathWorksTM, and the Swartz Center for Computational
Neuroscience in San Diego. Clinical exposure to geriatric and mobility assessment will be obtained through the
Center for the Aging Brain and ongoing mobility investigations at the Cognitive & Motor Aging Lab. Training in
epidemiological study design, biostatistics and research ethics will be obtained through the Clinical Research
Training Program offered by the Einstein-Montefiore Institute for Clinical and Translational Research. A series
of supplemental enrichment activities will complement didactic training and enhance the Candidate’s academic
leadership skills. The accompanying mentored research project proposes a combined cross-sectional
and longitudinal investigation to determine contributions of the central nervous system to age-related
decline in moblitiy. The research proposal focuses on developing targeted applications of a novel EEG-based
technique - Mobile Brain-BodyImaging (MOBI) during active walking to examine the link between gait,
cognition and falls in aging. The Candidate will benefit from the combined resources on two funded Program
Projects at Einstein: the Biological and Neural Mechanism of Fall (PI: J. Verghese) and the Central Control of
Mobility In Aging (PI: R. Holtzer). At the institutional level, the Candidate has access to a diverse array of
CTSA-sponsored C...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10381863
- **Project number:** 3K01AG049991-06S1
- **Recipient organization:** ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Pierfilippo De Sanctis
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $116,845
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-09-30 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10381863

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10381863, Cortical Underpinnings of Gait and Falls in Aging: A Novel Brain-Body Imaging Approach (3K01AG049991-06S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10381863. Licensed CC0.

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