Chris Patrick, a student in the Human Bioenergetics Ph.D. Program in the Colorado State University Department of Health and Exercise Science, was recognized with the Excellence in Research and Scholarship award at CSU’s 2023 Graduate Student Showcase on Nov. 15, one of five awarded by the College of Health and Human Sciences. Patrick conducts research in the Sensorimotor Neuroimaging Lab with his mentor, Associate Professor Brett Fling. Read on for more info about Patrick’s research.

What inspired you to conduct this research?

Multiple sclerosis is a debilitating neurological disease that results in damage to the brain and spinal cord. This can result in many symptoms, but mobility and balance challenges are the most commonly reported. Yet, we are still uncovering how exactly these symptoms come to be. The inspiration for this research was to further understand the neural components that contribute to difficulties with muscle force development in people with MS.

Tell us about your research and what impact you hope it will have.

Our current research explores different brain areas in people with MS to try to identify which areas contribute to muscle force development difficulties for movements such as walking or standing from a seated position. This project aimed to further describe the functioning of a particular clustering of neurons originating in the brainstem called the reticular formation in people with MS. From this work we hope our results will positively influence intervention/rehabilitation efforts in people with MS and other neurodegenerative diseases.

What does receiving this award mean to you?

Receiving this award from CHHS was incredibly exciting! This award serves as a testament of the enormous passion, dedication, and collaborative efforts of the entire our lab team. I’m glad I was able to represent them and all of our hard work well.

The Department of Health and Exercise Science is a part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.