Emily Graczyk

Assistant Professor, Biomedical Engineering
Development and clinical assessment of neural interfaces and stimulation approaches to restore and enhance somatosensory function

Lab website: https://www.graczyklab.com/

Office: 110 Wickenden Phone Number: (216) 368-5182 Email: emily.graczyk@case.edu

Education

BS, Biomedical Engineering, University of South Carolina, Columbia, 2013
PhD, Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 2018

Research Interests

The primary goal of my research program is to develop and implement technology to restore and enhance somatosensory function for people with amputation, spinal cord injury, mastectomy, autism, or other sensory impairments. My research focuses on somatosensation in the hand and arm, including touch, proprioception, affective (social) touch, and pain. My lab's studies aim to better understand sensory perception and sensorimotor integration and learning. We also examine the functional and psychological impacts of sensory neuroprostheses and other types of neurotechnology. My lab conducts clinical studies involving neural stimulation, neurophysiological recording, computational modeling, psychometrics, behavioral assessments, and qualitative analyses. My lab has prior and current funding from the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for our research projects.

Areas of interest: 1) Perception and processing of sensations produced by implanted medical devices, including intracortical microstimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation, 2) Development and clinical assessment of sensory neuroprostheses, 3) Neural coding of sensation, 4) User experiences with neuroprostheses and assistive technology.

Other Affiliations

2021 - PRESENT, Biomedical Engineer Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center

My research focuses on the development and clinical assessment of neural interfaces and stimulation approaches to restore and enhance somatosensory function.  The primary goal of my research program is to develop and implement technology to restore and enhance somatosensory function for people with amputation, spinal cord injury, mastectomy, autism, or other sensory impairments. My research focuses on somatosensation in the hand and arm, including touch, proprioception, affective (social) touch, and pain. My lab's studies aim to better understand sensory perception and sensorimotor integration and learning. We also examine the functional and psychological impacts of sensory neuroprostheses and other types of neurotechnology. My lab conducts clinical studies involving neural stimulation, neurophysiological recording, computational modeling, psychometrics, behavioral assessments, and qualitative analyses. My lab has prior and current funding from the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for our research projects.

Areas of interest:

  • Perception and processing of sensations produced by implanted medical devices, including intracortical microstimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation
  • Development and clinical assessment of sensory neuroprostheses
  • Neural coding of sensation
  • User experiences with neuroprostheses and assistive technology

Publications

Segil, J., Cuberovic, I., Graczyk, E., Weir, R., & Tyler, D. J. (2020). Combination of Simultaneous Artificial Sensory Percepts to Identify Prosthetic Hand Postures: A Case Study. Scientific Reports, 10 (1).
Cuberovic, I., Gill, A., Resnik, L., Tyler, D. J., & Graczyk, E. J. (2019). Learning of Artificial Sensation Through Long-Term Home Use of a Sensory-Enabled Prosthesis. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13
Christie, B., Graczyk, E., Charkhkar, H., Tyler, D. J., & Triolo, R. J. (2019). Visuotactile synchrony of stimulation-induced sensation and natural somatosensation. Journal of Neural Engineering, 16 (3).
Graczyk, E., Gill, A., Tyler, D. J., & Resnik, L. J. (2019). The benefits of sensation on the experience of a hand: A qualitative case series. PLoS ONE, 14 (1).
Ereifej, E., Shell, C., Schofield, J., Charkhkar, H., Cuberovic, I., Dorval, A., Graczyk, E., Kozai, T., Otto, K., Tyler, D. J., & Others, D. J. (2019). Neural engineering: the process, applications, and its role in the future of medicine. Journal of neural engineering, 16 (6), 063002.
Schiefer, M., Graczyk, E., Sidik, S., Tan, D., & Tyler, D. J. (2018). Artificial tactile and proprioceptive feedback improves performance and confidence on object identification tasks. PLoS ONE, 13 (12).
Graczyk, E., Resnik, L., Schiefer, M., Schmitt, M., & Tyler, D. J. (2018). Home use of a neural-connected sensory prosthesis provides the functional and psychosocial experience of having a hand again. Scientific Reports, 8 (1).
Graczyk, E., Delhaye, B., Schiefer, M., Bensmaia, S., & Tyler, D. J. (2018). Sensory adaptation to electrical stimulation of the somatosensory nerves. Journal of Neural Engineering, 15 (4).
Graczyk, E., Schiefer, M., Saal, H., Delhaye, B., Bensmaia, S., & Tyler, D. J. (2016). The neural basis of perceived intensity in natural and artificial touch. Science Translational Medicine, 8 (362).