Researcher spotlight: Brice Cleland
Precision Motion
May 27, 2025
Brice Cleland, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professor
Department of Physical Therapy
University of Illinois Chicago
Opal V2R® technology has been used by thousands of researchers worldwide, and together, these researchers have published more than 750 peer reviewed papers, greatly contributing to the available body of evidence in human movement.
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Q:
Would you please introduce yourself, your academic background and your research interests?
A:
My name is Brice Cleland, PhD, and I am a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Illinois Chicago. My training is in Physiology/Rehabilitation Science from Marquette University (BS, PhD) and the University of Colorado Boulder. My research investigates the mechanisms of walking recovery after neurological injury (with a focus on stroke and multiple sclerosis) and how to harness these processes to improve gait rehabilitation. To improve rehabilitation, it’s imperative to understand the physiological processes underlying walking recovery and how to enhance these processes. To address these questions, my research uses a multi-faceted approach with tools such as magnetic resonance imaging, transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, peripheral stimulation, electromyography, and behavioral and biomechanical measures.
Q:
Do you have a personal story that led to your interest in human movement/ neurodegenerative disease research? What continues to drive your ambitions as a scientist?
A:
My interest in human movement began in high school in an interest in the physiology of running. I read books such as “The Lore of Running” by Timothy Noakes, and “Exercise Physiology: Human Bioenergetics and Its Applications” by George Brooks. Because of my interest, I got involved in human subjects research as an undergraduate student, working in a research lab working with people with multiple sclerosis. I discovered that there was much work to be done to advance rehabilitation for individuals with neurological injury. My personal connections with participants continues to drive my interests in working to continue improving recovery for these individuals.
Q:
How has Clario’s APDM Opal V2R® System been most useful in your research endeavors?
A:
The Clario’s APDM Opal V2R® System is an excellent tool for evaluating walking spatiotemporal kinematics. Previously, these types of measurements could only be performed using instrumented treadmills or instrumented walkways. These have cost and space limitations that Clario’s APDM Opal V2R® System circumvents. Measurements can be made in a variety of free-living and laboratory environments at a relatively low cost.
Q:
What research projects or questions are you currently working on?
A:
Currently, I am working on an NIH R21 that is investigating which motor pathways may compensate for impairment after stroke, including pathways from the non-lesioned hemisphere such as the corticoreticulospinal tract (CREST) and spinal pathways. In this project, we are using fMRI and TMS to provide insight into the CREST and lower limb functional tests including walking speed, spatiotemporal kinematics, and ankle movement to determine how these compensatory motor pathways impact lower limb function. I am also working on a pilot project which compares effects of moderate and high intensity treadmill training on symptomatic fatigue and walking in people with MS with elevated fatigue and walking dysfunction.
Q:
Where do you see the use of wearable IMU’s in human movement research going in the next 5 years?
A:
In the next 5 years, I think wearable IMU’s will continue to expand in their ability to be used in free-living conditions for extended durations. I also expect that the accuracy the predictive models used by these will continue to improve, particularly with the burgeoning interest in machine learning and AI.
Q:
Fill in the blank: When I’m not working on a research project, you can find me…
A:
…out running around Chicagoland or playing with my kids (aged 3 and 6).