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About

Lars Michels is a leading researcher in the neurorehabilitation and motor control fields, with a primary focus on understanding and enhancing gait recovery after neurological injury. His work uniquely bridges functional neuroimaging (fMRI) and robotic rehabilitation to investigate the supraspinal mechanisms underlying locomotion. Michels’ major contributions include pioneering the use of robot-assisted fMRI paradigms to dissociate the brain activation patterns associated with active versus passive lower limb stepping, providing critical insights into the neural correlates of motor intent and sensory feedback. He has also explored the powerful potential of error augmentation—a strategy that amplifies movement errors—to drive motor learning in complex locomotor tasks, with his seminal 2017 paper on this topic accumulating 76 citations and shaping modern rehabilitation protocols. Demonstrating a commitment to methodological rigor, his 2014 work on standardized stepping procedures (80 citations) and his 2015 test-retest reliability study are foundational for reproducible neuroimaging in patient populations with gait disorders. Through this systematic investigation of weight-bearing simulation and sensorimotor integration, Michels has established himself as a key figure in translating neuroimaging findings into actionable strategies for stroke and spinal cord injury rehabilitation.