Joseph Wildenberg

E-mail: jcwildenberg@wisc.edu

Research Project:

I am investigating the plasticity of the vestibular system using fMRI in patients with vestibular dysfunction.  It has been shown that sensorisubstitution, the replacement of one sensory modality with another, can lead to improved function even when the replacement input is removed.  I am looking at activity changes in the brain, and specifically the brain stem, that may explain this functional improvement.

In addition, I am studying the role of the basal ganglia in the speech problems associated with Parkinson's disease.  Traditionally thought of as motor nuclei, recent evidence points to a language function for the basal ganglia beyond the simple control of the laryngeal muscles.  Using fMRI and delayed auditory feedback, I hope to show that the speech pathology of Parkinson's disease is separate from the motor pathologies, even though both are derived from the basal ganglia.