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Dr. Palmer is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy on the tenure-track. She has a DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) and PhD in Biomechanics and Movement Sciences from the University of Delaware. She performed her postdoctoral training at Emory University and the University of Kansas Medical Center in stroke and aging neurophysiology. Dr. Palmer is currently leading an NIH-sponsored project that is using an innovative, systems-based neuroscience approach to study balance and walking control at the intersection of brain vascular health and neural function.
Palmer JA, Payne AM, Mirdamadi JL, Ting LH, Borich MR, Delayed cortical engagement associated with balance dysfunction after stroke. medRxiv,
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.11.28.23299035
PubMed ID: 38076827
Palmer JA, Hazen EM, Billinger SA, 2024. Dual-task balance control reveals cerebrovascular-behavioral relationships in older adults resistant to cognitive decline. J Am Geriatr Soc,
doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.19049
PubMed ID: 38924057
Palmer JA, Whitaker AA, Payne AM, Bartsch BL, Reisman DS, Boyne PE, Billinger SA, 2024. Aerobic exercise training improves cortical inhibitory function after stroke: a preliminary investigation. Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy,
doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/NPT.0000000000000453
Sadeghi M, Bristow T, Fakorede S, Kioa K, Palmer JA, Lyions KE, Pahwa R, Huang C, Akinwuntan A, Devos H, 2024. The Effect of Sensory Reweighting on Postural Control and Cortical Activity in Parkinson’s Disease. medRxiv,
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.26.24301687
Palmer JA, Whitaker AA, Payne AM, Bartsch BL, Reisman DS, Boyne PE, Billinger SA, 2023. Aerobic exercise training improves cortical inhibitory function after stroke: a preliminary investigation. Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy. 2023 Jul 10:
doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/NPT.0000000000000453
Palmer JA, Morris JK, Billinger SA, Lepping RL, Martin L, Green Z, Vidoni ED, Hippocampal blood flow rapidly and preferentially increases after a bout of moderate-intensity exercise in older adults with poor cerebrovascular health. Cerebral Cortex. 2022 Oct 18;
doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhac418
Palmer JA, Payne AM, Ting LH, Borich MR, Cortical engagement metrics during reactive balance are associated with distinct aspects of balance behavior in older adults. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 2021.
doi: doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2021.684743
Palmer JA, Kaufman CS, Vidoni ED, Honea RA, Burns JM, Billinger SA, Sex differences in resistance to brain pathology moderated by cerebrovascular health and genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 2022 November8; 90(2): 535-542.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-220359
Palmer JA, Kaufman CS, Vidoni ED, Honea RA, Burns JM, Billinger SA, Cerebrovascular response to exercise interacts with individual genotype and amyloid-beta to influence response inhibition with aging. Neurobiology of Aging. 2022 Jun; 114:15-26.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.02.014
Payne, A.M., Palmer JA, McKay JL, Ting, L.H, Lower cognitive set shifting ability is associated with stiffer balance recovery behavior and larger perturbation-evoked cortical responses in older adults. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience. 2021 Dec 6.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2021.742243
Palmer JA, Kesar TM, Wolf SL, Borich MR, Motor Cortical Network Flexibility is Associated With Biomechanical Walking Impairment in Chronic Stroke. Neural Rehabilitation and Neural Repair. 2021 Sep 27.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/15459683211046272
Ghosn NJ, Palmer JA, Borich MR, Ting LH, Payne AM, Cortical beta oscillatory activity evoked during reactive balance recovery scales with perturbation difficulty and individual balance ability. Brain Sciences. 2020, 10(11), 860;
doi: doi.org/10.3390/brainsci10110860
Palmer JA, Gray WA, Saltão da Silva MA, Wolf SL, Wheaton L, Borich MR, Role of Interhemispheric Cortical Interactions in Poststroke Motor Function. Neural Rehabilitation and Neural Repair. 2019;
doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1545968319862552
Palmer JA, Halter A, Gray W, Wolf SL, Borich MR, Modulatory Effects of Motor State During Paired Associative Stimulation on Motor Cortex Excitability and Motor Skill Learning. Frontiers Human Neuroscience. 2019;13(8):
doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00008
Palmer JA, Wolf SL, Borich MR, Paired associative stimulation modulates corticomotor excitability in chronic stroke: A preliminary investigation. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience. 2018.
doi: https://doi.org/10.3233/RNN-170785
Borich MR, Wolf SW, Tan A, Palmer JA., Targeted Neuromodulation of Abnormal Interhemispheric Connectivity to Promote Neural Plasticity and Recovery of Arm Function after Stroke: a Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial Study Protocol. Neural Plasticity. 2018.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9875326
Gray WA, Palmer JA, Wolf SL, Borich MR, Abnormal EEG Responses to TMS During the Cortical Silent Period are Associated with Hand Function in Chronic Stroke. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. 2017. (7): 666-676.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1545968317712470
Palmer JA, Zarzycki R, Morton SM, Kesar TM, Binder-Macleod SA, Characterizing differential post-stroke corticomotor drive to dorsi- and plantarflexor muscles during resting and volitional muscle activation. Journal of Neurophysiology. 2017. (4): 1615-1624.
Palmer JA, Hsiao HY, Wright T, Binder-Macleod SA, Single Session of Functional-Electrical Stimulation-Assisted Walking Produces Corticomotor Symmetry Changes Related to Changes in Poststroke Walking Mechanics. Physical Therapy. 2017. (5). 550-560.
Palmer JA, Hsiao HY, Awad LN, Binder-Macleod SA, Symmetry of corticomotor input to plantarflexors influences the propulsive strategy used to increase walking speed post-stroke. Clinical Neurophysiology. 2016. (127): 1837-1844.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2015.12.003
Palmer JA, Needle AR, Pohlig RT, Binder-Macleod SA, Atypical cortical drive during activation of the paretic and nonparetic tibialis anterior is related to gait deficits in chronic stroke. Clinical Neurophysiology. 2015. (127): 716-723.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2015.06.013
Awad LA, Palmer JA, Pohlig RT, Binder-Macleod SA, Reisman DS, Walking speed and step length asymmetry modify the energy cost of walking after stroke. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. 2014: (5): 416-23.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1545968314552528
Needle AR, Palmer JA, Kesar TM, Binder-Macleod SA, Swanik CB, Brain regulation of muscle tone in healthy and functionally unstable ankles. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation. 2013; 22(3): 202-11.
Chou L, Palmer JA, Binder-Macleod SA, Knight CA, Motor Unit Rate Coding is Severely Impaired during Forceful and Fast Muscular Contractions in Individuals Post Stroke. Journal of Neurophysiology. 2013; 109(22): 2947-54.
The general focus of work in Dr. Palmer’s laboratory aims to understand the link between cerebrovascular brain health, brain function, and the brain’s adaptive, neuroplastic capacity for learning and behavior. Dr. Palmer’s team uses multimodal, dynamic neuroimaging approaches (e.g. TMS-EEG, EEG-transcranial ultrasound), biomechanical analyses, and noninvasive brain stimulation (e.g. TMS) to identify and modulate brain networks involved in balance and walking. The long-term goal of this research is to develop and optimize treatments that preserve and improve brain function across domains of cognition and mobility over the course of aging and in the presence of age-related neuropathology such as stroke and dementia.