Neurophysiology of Movement Laboratory

Enoka Lab logo

Ramaley W205
Department of Integrative Physiology
Â鶹ӰԺ
Â鶹ӰԺ, CO 80309-0354

Research Interests

Neuromuscular determinants of motor function (movement) in health and disease. Current projects address three main topics:

  1. Aging – identifying the adaptations responsible for the declines in sensorimotor function with advancing age
  2. Motor units – characterizing the activation signal sentÌýfrom the nervous system to muscle and its influence on muscle function.
  3. Multiple sclerosis – evaluating therapeutic strategies that can reduce the burden of multiple sclerosis by restoring walking ability and reducing fatigue
Enoka Lab 082925

Personnel

  • Director: Roger M. Enoka, Ph.D.
  • Postdoctoral Fellow: Mélanie Henry, Ph.D.
  • Visiting Scholar:
  • Graduate Students:
    • Alireza Kamankesh, M.Sc
    • Ben Kott, B.S.
    • Kelsey Koger, M.S.
    • Morgan Hughes, B.A.
    • Negar Rahimi, M.Sc.
    • Rehab Al-Jaafari, B.PT., M.S.
    • Siena Krueger, M.S.
  • Undergraduate Students
    • Hannah Riewe, Echo Cole, Isabel Cleveland
  • Former Lab Members: Photos of former lab members are available in our gallery
  • Collaborators:
    • , Ph.D., University of Maribor, Slovenia
    • Alessandro Del Vecchio, Ph.D., Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
    • , Ph.D., Imperial College, UK
    • , M.D., Ph.D., University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
    • , Ph.D., Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
    • Yiannis Amiridis, Ph.D., Aristotle University of Thessaloniki at Serres, Greece

Opportunities for Undergraduates

  • The requirements for undergraduate students who want research experience in our Laboratory are:
    • A major in integrative physiology
    • Opportunities include volunteering to assist with a research project, obtaining independent study credit, securing UROP funding, completing an honors thesis, or coauthoring a manuscript.
    • Students are expected to be available for at least 10 hours/weekÌýfor a minimum ofÌýone semester.
  • For more information, contact Ben Kott (ben.kott@colorado.edu)

Recent Publications

  • Amiridis IG, Kannas T, Sahinis C, Negro F, Tryipdakis G, Kellis E, Enoka RM. More variability in tibialis anterior function during adduction of the foot than dorsiflexion of the ankle. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 56: 851-859, 2024.
  • Daneshgar S, Hoitz F, Enoka RM. Temporal variability in stride kinematics during the application of TENS: a machine learning analysis.ÌýMedicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 56: 1701-1708, 2024
  • Daneshgar S, Tvrdy T, Enoka RM. Explaining the influence of practice on the grooved pegboard times of older adults: role of force steadiness. Experimental Brain Research 242: 1971-1982, 2024.
  • Darendeli A, Enoka RM. Control of motor output during steady submaximal contractions is modulated by contraction history. Experimental Brain Research 242: 675-683, 2024.
  • Del Vecchio A, Casolo A, Enoka RM, Farina D. Changes in neural drive after strength training are better estimated from absolute than normalized EMG amplitude. Journal of Applied Physiology 140: 177-187, 2026.
  • Del Vecchio A, Enoka RM, Farina D. Specificity of early motor unit adaptations with resistive exercise training. Journal of Physiology 602: 2679-2688, 2024.
  • Henry M, Darendeli A, Tvrdy T, Daneshgar S, Enoka RM. Influence of visual and auditory feedback on the proprioceptive sense of force: insights from motor unit recordings. Journal of Neurophysiology 133: 1103-1115, 2025.
  • Kamankesh A, Rahimi N, Amiridis IG, Sahinis C, Hatzitaki V, Enoka RM. Distinguishing the activity of flexor digitorum brevis and soleus across standing postures with deep learning models. Gait & Posture 117: 58-74, 2024.
  • Rahimi N, Hatzitaki V, Kamankesh A, Gavriilidou A, Enoka RM. Machine-learning classification of postural sway in young adults during colored noisy vestibular stimulation. Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology 87: 103125, 2026.
  • Rahimi N, Kamankesh A, Amiridis IG, Sahinis C, Hatzitaki V, Enoka RM. Distinguishing among standing postures with machine-learning based classification algorithms. Experimental Brain Research 243: 3, 2024.
  • Tvrdy T, Henry M, Enoka RM. Influence of the variability in motor unit discharge time and neural drive on force steadiness during submaximal contractions with a hand muscle. Journal of Neurophysiology 133: 697-708, 2025.
  • Weinman L, Del Vecchio A, Mazzo M, Enoka RM. Motor unit modes in the calf muscles during a submaximal isometric contraction are changed by brief stretches. Journal of Physiology 602: 1385-1404, 2024.
  • Weinman LE, Koger K, Toninelli N, Henry M, Enoka RM. Discharge characteristics of motor unit in first dorsal interosseus vary with load compliance but comprise a single neural module during submaximal isometric contractions. Journal of Neurophysiology 135: 335-347, 2026.
  • Weinman LE, Lydikis A, Amiridis IG, Sahinis C, Enoka RM. Two anatomically distinct motor unit modes in tibialis anterior during submaximal isometric contractions Journal of Neurophysiology 135: 214-226, 2026.