I am currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Rotman Research Institute in Toronto under the direction of Dr. Tomas Paus. I am analyzing the white matter imaging data (diffusion tensor and magnetization transfer imaging) for the Ice Brain Project in collaboration with Dr. Suzanne King. The goal of this research is to examine how prenatal stress affects the development of neural tracts and the downstream consequences of disrupted brain development on the emergence of cognitive and behavioral problems in late childhood and adolescence.
My doctoral research at the University of Maryland employed brain imaging techniques such as electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) to examine differences in neural networking and brain activation patterns across childhood during adaptive sensorimotor behavior. For my dissertation, I expanded this programmatic line of research and incorporated structural MRI, resting state fMRI, and diffusion tensor imaging to determine how changes in brain structure and function across childhood are related to the cortical dynamic processes and motor behavior. In addition to examining typical development, I also studied children with motor coordination difficulties, specifically Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), to determine if the movement impairments these children exhibit are due to abnormal brain activation patterns, disrupted networking among brain regions, or differences in the structure of relevant brain areas.
Contact Information:
Rotman Research Institute
3560 Bathurst Street
Brain Health Complex Room 1012
Toronto, Ontario M6A 2E1
Telephone: 416.785.2500 x2148
Web: melissapangelinan.weebly.com/
Published Papers
Pangelinan, M. M., Kagerer, F.A., Momen, B., Hatfield, B.D & Clark, J.E. (In Press). Age-related differences in kinematics and electrocortical dynamics during discrete drawing movements in children and adults. Cerebral Cortex. 10.1093/cercor/bhq162.
Pangelinan, M.M., VanMeter, J.W., Clark, J.E., Hatfield, B.D., & Haufler, A.J. (2011). Beyond age and gender: Relationships between cortical and subcortical brain volume and cognitive-motor abilities in school-age children. NeuroImage, 54(4), 3093-3100.
King, B.R., Pangelinan, M.M., Kagerer, F.A., & Clark, J.E. (2010). Multisensory-motor integration in arm movements of typically-developing children. Neuroscience Letters, 483(1), 36 - 40.
Pangelinan, M.M., Klein, K.M., Oliveira, M.A., Hatfield, B.D., & Clark, J.E., (Under Review). Differences in EEG spectral power in children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder.
Pangelinan, M.M., Hatfield, B.D., & Clark, J.E., (Under Review). Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder exhibit poor cortical efficiency during goal-directed movements.
Published Abstracts
Pangelinan, M.M., Hatfield, B.D., & Clark, J.E. (June 2010). Attenuated cortical activation may underlie movement deficits in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. Presented at the annual meeting of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity, Tuscon, AZ, USA [Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 32 Supp, S47, June 2010].
Pangelinan, M.M., Kagerer, F.A., Hatfield, B.D., & Clark, J.E. (June 2008). Increased recruitment of the ipsilateral sensorimotor cortex and coherence during multi-joint, goal-directed arm movements. Presented at the annual meeting of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity, Niagara Falls, ON, Canada. [Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 30 Supp, S117, June 2008].
King, B.R., Pangelinan, M.M., Aluko, T., Kagerer, F.A., & Clark, J.E. (June 2008). Multisensory-motor integration in arm movements of typically-developing children. Presented at the annual meeting of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity, Niagara Falls, ON, Canada. [Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 30 Supp, S48, June 2008].
Pangelinan, M.M., Kagerer, F.A., Hatfield, B.D., Momen, B. & Clark, J.E. (August 2007). Age-related changes in motor readiness potentials and kinematics of goal-directed reaching in children and adults. Presented at Progress in Motor Control VI, Santos, São Paulo, Brazil. [Motor Control, 11, S24].