Researcher Profile Detail
Dr. Eric Roy
BSc (University of Waterloo), MPE (University of British Columbia), PhD (University of Waterloo)
Professor, Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Eric Roy has a background in Kinesiology, Cognitive Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Waterloo in 1976. Dr. Roy is a Professor in the Departments of Kinesiology and Psychology at the University of Waterloo, is the Director of the Neurobehavioural Assessment and Rehabilitation Program and the Functional Abilities Program for Seniors. Dr. Roy also holds an academic appointment in the Department of Rehabilitation Science at the University of Toronto and a research appointment at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the Canadian Centre for Stroke Recovery in Toronto. Dr. Roy's research examines neurocognitive and neuromotor mechanisms underlying how movements are learned and controlled. His approach involves examining normal healthy young and older adults as well as those with neurologic disorders such as stroke, Alzheimer disease and traumatic brain injury. One line of research is concerned with manual asymmetries in performance, how these relate to hand preference and how these asymmetries change with age. Another focus is on tool use and functioning in activities of daily living. One aspect of this project examines the effects of aging on these functions. Another aspect examines apraxia, a disorder in these functions arising from age-related neurologic disorders such as stroke. Using various cognitive neuropsychological models of apraxia the aim of this part of the project is to identify different forms of apraxia and to identify their neural correlates through analyses of lesion localization in the brain.
Dr. Roy's more applied research takes findings from his work on aging to develop instruments for assessing cognitive and motor functioning in residents of long-term care facilities with the aim of promoting independence in mobility and functioning in daily living activities. This project called the Functional Abilities Program is one component of the RBJ Schlegel UW Research Institute for Aging and involves a university-community partner (Oakwood Retirement Communities Inc.) collaboration. Another application builds upon his expertise as a Psychologist with a practice in clinical neuropsychology and involves studying the effects of concussion and traumatic brain injury. Dr. Roy acts as a consultant to the Ontario Hockey (Major Junior A) League in the use of neuropsychological assessments as part of return to play guidelines for players who have suffered a concussion. He is also a consultant to a number of rehabilitation clinics working with people who have suffered brain injuries in industrial and automobile accidents and has acted as an expert witness in brain injury litigation.
KEY PUBLICATIONS
Desmarais, G., Dixon, M.J., & Roy, E.A. A role for action knowledge in visual object identification. Memory and Cognition. 2007;35(7):1712-23.
Desmarais, G., Pensa, M.C., Dixon, M.J., & Roy, E.A. The importance of object similarity in the production and identification of actions associated with objects. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. 2007;13(6):1021-34.
Almeida, Q., Frank, J., Roy, E.A., Patla, A., & Jog, M. Dopamenergic modulation of timing control and variability in the gait of Parkinson's disease. Movement Disorders. 2007;22:1735-1742.
Bryden, P.J., Roy, E.A., Rohr, L.E. and Egilo, S. Task demands affect manual asymmetries in pegboard performance. Laterality. 2007;12: 364-377.
Mamolo, C., Roy, E.A., Rohr, L., Bryden, P.J. The Relationship Between Comfort Levels and Performance on a Preferential-Reaching Test With Right-Handed Participants. Laterality. 2006;11:465-492.
Dubrowski, A. Roy, E.A., Black, S.E. & Carnahan H. Unilateral basal ganglia damage causes contralesional force control deficits: A case study. Neuropsychologia. 2006;43:1379-1384.
Bryden, P. & Roy, E.A. Developmental trends in the distribution of reaching movements in working space. Developmental Psychobiology. 2006;48:121-132.
Parakh, R., Roy, E.A., Koo, E. and Black, S.E. Pantomime and imitation of limb gestures in relation to the severity of Alzheimer's disease. Brain and Cognition. 2004;55:272-274.
Heath, M., Almeida, Q., Roy, E.A., and Black, S.E. Selective dysfunction of tool-use: A failure to integrate somatosensation and action. Neurocase. 2003;9:156-163.
Roy, E.A., Kalbfleisch, L., Bryden, P., Barbour, K. & Black, S. (2000) Visual aiming movements in Alzheimer's disease. Brain and Cognition. 2000;41:380-384.
Dolman R, Roy E, Dimeck P & Hall C. Age, gesture span and dissociations among subsystems of working memory. Brain and Cognition. 2000;41:164-168.
Heath M, Roy EA & Weir PL. Visual-motor integration of unexpected sensory events in younger and older participants: A kinematic analysis. Developmental Neuropsychology. 1999;16:197-211.
PRESENTATIONS
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"Functional Abilities Program for Seniors" Presented at: "Translating Research in to Practice" - April 13, 2007: Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging Annual Research Day |
 Play the video |
CONTACT INFORMATION
| Email: | eroy@healthy.uwaterloo.ca |
| Phone: | 519.888.4567 ext. 33536 |
| Address: |
Department of Kinesiology Burt Matthews Hall, Room 1101 University of Waterloo 200 University Ave. West Waterloo, ON CANADA N2L 3G1 |