Kaylena Ehgoetz Martens

Research interests

Broadly, I am interested in how the brain controls movement and how this process fails with disease. My research combines movement kinematics, functional neuroimaging, psychophysiology and cognitive neuroscience to uncover the neural basis of gait and cognitive-emotional interactions in health and disease. In particular, I aim to (i) investigate the complex interactions between cognition, emotion, gait and balance; (ii) leverage the complexity of gait control to expose subclinical predictors of aging and neurodegeneration for translation to clinical practice, and (iii) combine gait with innovative technologies, such as virtual reality and mobile recording devices, to catalyze early diagnosis, prevent gait disturbances and falls, and preserve mobility throughout the lifespan. This information can lead to improved strategies to better assess and manage gait disturbances and falls in older adults and individuals at risk and/or suffering from neurodegenerative diseases.

Graduate supervision and student opportunities

• Research volunteer
• Undergraduate thesis
• MSc thesis
• Coursework interns
• PhD thesis
• Postdoctoral Fellowship
• Research assistant/coordinator

Please email me to discuss current available opportunities.

Graduate studies application details

Teaching, expertise, tools and technologies

• Aging and neurodegeneration
• Movement disorders
• Gait kinematics
• Neuropsychology and neurocognitive assessment
• Mood, emotion and cognition
• Fear, threat, anxiety and depression
• Virtual reality

Courses

KIN 470: Topics in Neurodegeneration

Education

BSc Kinesiology & Physical Education, Wilfrid Laurier University 

MA Psychology, University of Waterloo 

PhD Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Waterloo 

Postdoctoral fellow, Medicine, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Australia 

Selected publications

See Google Scholar for full list of publications.

Ehgoetz Martens, K.A., Matar, E., Phillips, J.R., Hall, J.M., Szeto, Y.Y., Gouelle, A., Grunstein, R., Halliday, G., Lewis, S.J.G. (2019). Subtle gait and balance impairments occur in idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder. Movement Disorders.

Shine, J.M., Bell, P.T., Ehgoetz Martens, K.A., Shine, R., Koyejo, O., Sporns, O., Poldrack, R.A. The low dimensional integrative core of cognition in the human brain. Nature Neuroscience. 2019 Jun; 22(6):1036.

Ehgoetz Martens, K.A., Hall, J.M.,Georgiades, M.J., Gilat, M., Walton, C.C., Matar, ^, E., Lewis, S.J.G. and Shine, J.M. (2018). The functional network signature of heterogeneity in freezing of gait. Brain. 141(4):1145-1160.

Ehgoetz Martens, K.A., Silveira, C.R.A., Intzandt, B.N., Almeida, Q.J. Levels of anxiety in Parkinson’s disease: The influence on single and dual task walking. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2018 Winter;30(1):77-80.

Ehgoetz Martens, K.A., Lukasik, E., Georgiades, M.J., Gilat, M., Hall, J.M., Walton, C.C., Lewis, S.J.G. (2018) Predicting the onset of freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease: a longitudinal study. Movement Disorders, 33(1):128-135. 

Ehgoetz Martens, K.A., Shine, J.M., Walton, C.C., Georgiades, M.J., Gilat, M., Hall, J.M., and Lewis, S.J.G. Evidence for subtypes of Freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease. Movement Disorders. 2018 Jul. 33(7):1174-1178.

Ehgoetz Martens, K.A., Ellard, C.G., Almeida, Q.J. (2014). Does anxiety cause freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease. PLoS one, 9 (9):e106561.