Professor Jon JA Scott

Research Interests and Techniques

I am engaged in research in two distinct areas: The Neural Control of Movement, and Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. In the area of the neural control of movement, the emphasis is on the role of proprioceptive feedback in normal and diseased/injured subjects and on modelling gait control.

Control of movement with particular respect to rehabilitation following injury

There are two main ongoing studies within this area, firstly an investigation into the recovery of the control of hand movement following nerve injury and an investigation of possible techniques for patient re-education/rehabilitation to improve the recovery of movement. This is being carried out using techniques of laser measurement of tremor and movement accuracy, assessments of the ability to determine loading on specific fingers and the ability to use proprioceptive information to match imposed joint movements, or generate movements following a visual cue under varying conditions of steady and fluctuating loading. As part of this study, we have developed novel methods for the generation of computer-controlled hand movements. This research is carried out in collaboration with hand surgeons from the Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Modelling and Analysis of Gait

The second area of research is based on a collaboration with the Bioengineering group led by Professor Sarah Spurgeon in the Dept. of Engineering. This research is directed towards analysing and modelling the neural control of knee movements in normal subjects and in arthritic patients. Kinematic recordings of subjects’ gait are made using the Qualisys system involving use of six ProReflex cameras to monitor multiple anatomical sites on the feet and legs. These recordings are integrated with kinetic data obtained from a force plate and with EMG data from the major leg muscles. The real-time data has been employed to validate the application of a novel modelling technique using sliding-mode control.

Fig1:  Illustration of the mapping of simulation of joint movements during walking gait, using sliding mode control, against mean joint angles recorded for 10 subjects

Fig2:  The Muscle Spindle.  Whole-mount silver-stained muscle spindle from a human first dorsal interosseus muscle of the hand, showing the primary and secondary endings on the intrafusal muscle fibres

The research into Teaching and Learning in Higher Education is currently focussed on: the development of web-based teaching; educating students about plagiarism and using plagiarism detection software; student retention and approaches to generic skills education.

Research Group and Funding

The research into movement control is currently funded by the Leverhulme Foundation and is being undertaken in collaboration with:

Professor S Spurgeon, Professor N B Jones and Dr S Lister, Department of Engineering
Professor W Harper, Department of Orthopaedics.

The research into Learning and Teaching in Higher Education is currently funded by STAR, HEFCE and the University of Leicester and is being undertaken in collaboration with:
Dr J Badge and Dr A Cann, School of Biological Sciences.

Recent Publications

Scott JJA. (2001). Neuroscience chapters in: Human Physiology. Eds Davies A, Blakeley AGH and Kidd C.; Churchill Livingstone.

Scott JJA and Proudlock FA. (2002). The effect of peripheral nerve lesions on 8-10Hz tremor during finger movements. Pflugers Arch Eur. J. Physiol. 443S307.

Scott JJA, Proudlock FA, Dias J and Sharma R. (2002). Proprioception in the hand following peripheral nerve blocks. Pflugers Arch Eur. J. Physiol. 443S313.

Ockleford CD, Cairns H, Rowe A, Byrne S, Scott JJA and Willingale R. (2002). The distribution of caveolin-3 immunofluorescence in skeletal muscle fibre membrane defined by dual channel confocal laser scanning microscopy, fast Fourier transform and image modelling. J. Microscr. 206, 93-105.

Chang L, Lim N, Barrie Jones, Sarah Spurgeon and Jon Scott. (2003). Prediction of Length and Force of Knee Joint Muscles during the Swing Phase of Gait - A Forward Dynamics approach using MATLAB/Simulink. SIMPRA 11 , 91-107.

Chang L, Lim N, Barrie Jones, Sarah Spurgeon and Jon Scott. (2003). Reconstruction of human neuromuscular control signals using a sliding mode control technique. SIMPRA11, 223-235.

Proudlock FA and Scott JJA. (2003). Tremor in the Human Hand Following Peripheral Nerve Transection and Reinnervation. Brain Res. 989(2), 238-245.

Scott JJA. (2005). The Golgi Tendon Organ. In Peripheral Neuropathy. 4th Ed. Eds Dyck PJ and Thomas PK: Saunders, pp 151-162.

Scott JJA. (2005). The locust jump: an integrated class practical. Adv. Physiol. Educ. 29, 21-26.

Badge J, Cann AJ and Scott JJA. (2005). e-Learning versus e-Teaching: Seeing the Pedagogic Wood for the Technological Trees. BEE-j 5 11pp.

Scott JJA. (2005). Students' Perceptions of Skills Acquisition in the Undergraduate Bioscience Curriculum. BEE-j 6 12pp.

Scott JJA. (2006). Why am I here?: Student choice in the Biosciences. BEE-j 6 - 1 14pp

Scott J and Graal M. (2006) Why Are Students Failing? An interview based investigation of factors underlying academic failure in the first year. In: Cook A, Rushton BS and Macintosh KA. Student Transition and Retention University of Ulster. Coleraine. In Press

Lister SJ, Jones NB, Spurgeon SK and Scott JJA. (2006). Simulation of human gait and associated muscle activation strategies using sliding-mode control techniques. SIMPRA 14, 586-596