Laila Alibiglou, PT, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Indiana University Indianapolis, an adjunct associate professor of Neurology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and a member of the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute. A physical therapist by training, she earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Northwestern University, where she also completed postdoctoral research training in movement disorders neurophysiology. Alibiglou is a translational neuroscientist whose work brings together neuroscience, neurology, and neurorehabilitation to understand the mechanisms underlying movement and locomotor dysfunction in neurological disorders. Her research has a particular emphasis on Parkinson’s disease and prodromal conditions such as REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). Her work has examined early changes in motor control, including abnormalities in gait initiation and anticipatory postural adjustments, and their relationship to clinically important motor problems such as freezing of gait and bradykinesia.
Her current research focuses on identifying physiological markers of motor dysfunction across the continuum from prodromal to clinically manifest neurological disease. Her laboratory combines neurophysiology, functional neuroimaging, biomechanics, wearable technology, and behavioral measures to study cortical and neuromuscular mechanisms of movement dysfunction. An emerging area of her research examines the relationship between sleep and circadian dysfunction and motor control, with the goal of better understanding how changes across these systems contribute to motor impairment and differences in disease presentation and progression. Drawing on her background in physical therapy, neuroscience, and neurorehabilitation, Alibiglou works to translate findings from human neuroscience into clinically meaningful approaches for earlier detection, better characterization of motor dysfunction, and rehabilitation. Her long-term goal is to use a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying motor impairment to guide more targeted interventions that improve mobility and function in people with neurological disorders.
Prior to joining Indiana University, Alibiglou held faculty positions in physical therapy and neuroscience departments across three academic institutions. She has also held academic leadership roles, including serving as Vice Dean for Education in a graduate school encompassing seven Ph.D. programs and one master’s program, where she provided leadership in graduate education, academic program development, and interdisciplinary educational initiatives. Throughout her academic career, Alibiglou has taught and mentored graduate and professional students across physical therapy, neuroscience, medicine, biomedical engineering, movement science, and psychology. She is committed to training future clinicians and scientists to connect fundamental neuroscience with the assessment and treatment of individuals with neurological disorders.
