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Dr David Bolton

Research Fellow

Email: d.bolton@qub.ac.uk

Address

Room 01.530, David Keir Building
School of Psychology
Queen's University Belfast
Belfast, BT7 1NN
Northern Ireland, UK

Telephone

+44 (0)28 9097 5476

Profile

I am a neuroscience researcher specializing in the study of sensorimotor control. I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph (Canada) followed by a Master’s degree in Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Florida (USA). Subsequently, I attended the University of Alberta (Canada) where I received my PhD in Neuroscience. My first position as a postdoctoral research fellow was at the University of Waterloo (Canada). Presently, I am a postdoctoral fellow at QUB working with Professor Richard Carson.

School of Psychology Administrative Roles

  • Coordinator for the school journal club in experimental psychology

Research

The majority of my work to date has emphasized balance control, although my research has included executive neural function, sensory processing and stroke rehabilitation. Presently I am studying how age impacts motor learning. The ultimate aim of my future research will focus on determining how the cerebral cortex (the most advanced stage of the nervous system) contributes to fall prevention. As an important addition to understanding the neural mechanisms that serve balance control, I will explore potential ways to use this insight to inform neuro-rehabilitation strategies.

Publications

Journal Articles

Vesia M, Bolton DAE, Mochizuki G, Staines WR. Human parietal and primary motor cortical interactions are selectively modulated during the transport and grip formation of goal-directed hand actions. Neuropsychologia, 2013, 51(3):410-417

Zapallow CM, Asmussen MJ, Bolton DAE, Lee KGH, Jacobs, MF, Nelson AJ. Theta burst repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation attenuates somatosensory evoked potentials from the lower limb. BMC Neuroscience, 2012, 13:133

Bolton DAE, Misiaszek JE. Effects of Ankle Extensor Muscle Afferent Inputs on Hip Abductor and Adductor Activity in the Decerebrate Walking Cat. J Neurophysiol, 2012, 108(11):3034-3042

Bolton DAE,Williams L, Staines WR, McIlroy WE. Contribution of primary motor cortex to compensatory balance reactions. BMC Neuroscience, 2012, 13:102

Bolton DAE, Staines WR. Age-related loss in attention-based modulation of tactile stimuli at early stages of somatosensory processing. Neuropsychologia, 2012, 50(7):1502-1513

Bolton DAE, Misiaszek JE. Compensatory balance reactions during forward and backward walking. Gait Posture, 2012, 35(4):681-684

Bolton DAE, Brown KE, McIlroy WE, Staines WR. Transient inhibition of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex disrupts somatosensory modulation during standing balance as measured by electroencephalography. NeuroReport, 2012, 23(6):369-372

Bolton DAE, Patel R, Staines WR, McIlroy WE. Transient inhibition of primary motor cortex suppresses hand muscle responses during a reactive reach to grasp. Neurosci Lett 2011, 504(2):83-87

Bolton DAE, McIlroy WE, Staines WR. The impact of light hand touch on haptic cortical processing during a standing balance task. Exp Brain Res 2011, 212(2):279-291

Bolton DAE, Staines WR. Transient inhibition of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex disrupts attention-based modulation of tactile stimuli at early stages of somatosensory processing. Neuropsychologia 2011, 49(7):1928-1937

Bolton DAE, Misiaszek JE. The contribution of hindpaw cutaneous inputs to the control of lateral stability during walking in the cat. J Neurophysiol 2009, 102(3):1711-1724

Bolton DAE, Tse ADY, Ballermann M, Misiaszek JE, Fouad K. Task specific adaptations in rat locomotion: Runway versus horizontal ladder. Behav Brain Res 2006, 168(2):272-279

Bolton DAE, Cauraugh JH, Hausenblas HA.  Electromyogram-triggered neuromuscular stimulation and stroke motor recovery of the upper limb: A meta-analysis. J Neurol Sci 2004, 223(2):121-127

Book Chapters

Staines WR, Bolton DAE. Transcranial magnetic stimulation techniques to study the somatosensory system: Research applications (Invited book chapter, Handbook of Clinical Neurology; Lozano, A., Hallett, M. (Eds) 2013)

Staines WR, Bolton DAE, McIlroy WE. Sensorimotor Control after Stroke (Invited book chapter, The Behavioural Consequences of Stroke; Schweizer, T.A., MacDonald, R.L. (Eds) 2013)