Research Lab

• NERDD Lab (Novel Environments for Reducing Disability & Dysfunction)

Professional Interests

• Underlying mechanisms of motor control and motor learning
• Development of evidence-based interventions for the treatment of neurological injuries
• Non-invasive neuromodulation (TMS, tDCS, tACS)

Education

• 2022: Ph.D. in Kinesiology, Pennsylvania State University
• 2021: Graduate Certificate in Translational Science, Pennsylvania State University
• 2018: O.T.D. in Occupational Therapy, Washington University in St. Louis
• 2014: B.A. in Movement & Exercise Science, University of Northern Iowa

Certifications

• Virginia Occupational Therapy License
• National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy

Grants

• Dexheimer (K12 Scholar), 2025 – 2026 
  “Do underlying mechanisms of handedness affect early fine motor deficits in Parkinson’s Disease?”
  Virginia Commonwealth University C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center K12 Mentored Career Development Award
  NIH NCATS K12 TR004364 
  Role: K12 Scholar
• Sainburg & Tunik (MPI), 2024 – 2029
  “Lateralization of posterior-parietal cortex contributions to motor learning”
  NIH NINDS R01 NS139424
  Role: Co-Investigator
• Dexheimer & Krusienski (co-PIs), 2024 – 2025
  “Altering sensory perception in virtual reality to elicit naturalistic movements”
  Virginia Commonwealth University Quest Grant
• Dexheimer (PI), 2023 – 2025
  “A novel method of quantifying lateralized fine motor impairments in Parkinson’s Disease”
  Shirley Ryan AbilityLab C-STAR (Center for Smart Use of Technologies to Assess Real World Outcomes)

Selected Publications

• Dexheimer, B., Sainburg, R. When the non-dominant arm dominates: the effects of visual information and task experience on speed-accuracy advantages. Exp Brain Res 239, 655–665 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-020-06011-6
• Maenza, C., Sainburg, R.L., Varghese, R., Dexheimer, B., Demers, M., Bishop, L., Jayasinghe, S.A., Wagstaff, D.A. & Winstein, C. Ipsilesional arm training in severe stroke to improve functional independence (IPSI): phase II protocol. BMC Neurol 22, 141 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-022-02643-z
• Dexheimer, B., Przybyla, A., Murphy, T.E., Akpinar, S. & Sainburg, R.L. Reaction time asymmetries provide insight into mechanisms underlying dominant and non-dominant hand selection. Exp Brain Res 240, 2791–2802 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-022-06451-2
• Dexheimer, B., Sainburg, R., Sharp, S., Philip, B.A. (2024). Roles of Handedness and Hemispheric Lateralization: Implications for Rehabilitation of the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems: A Rapid Review. Am J Occup Ther 78(2), 7802180120. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2024.050398
• Kitchen, N.M.*, Dexheimer, B.*, Yuk, J., Maenza, C., Ruelos, P.R., Kim, T. and Sainburg, R.L. (2024), The complementary dominance hypothesis: a model for remediating the ‘good’ hand in stroke survivors. J Physiol. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP285561 *Denotes equal contribution to this work

Selected Abstracts

• Dexheimer, B., Sandberg, C.W., Selby, K., Jayasinghe, S.A.L., Kantak, S., & Sainburg, R.L. (2022, July). Anodal (excitatory) HD-tDCS demonstrates a contralateral role of the left posterior parietal cortex in interlimb transfer of learning. Poster session, Occupational Therapy Summit of Scholars. Madison, WI.
• Dexheimer, B., Sandberg, C.W., Selby, K., Jayasinghe, S.A.L., Kantak, S., & Sainburg, R.L. (2022, November). Anodal (excitatory) HD-tDCS demonstrates a contralateral role of the left posterior parietal cortex in interlimb transfer of learning. Poster session, Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA.
• Kitchen, N., Dexheimer, B., Sandberg, C.W., Selby, K., & Sainburg, R.L. (2022, November). The interaction of hand and hemisphere on interlimb transfer of visuomotor learning: An anodal HD-tDCS study targeting posterior parietal cortex. Poster session, Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA.
• Sharp, S., Dexheimer, B. (2024, April). Examining the effect of non-invasive brain stimulation on hemispheric lateralization of motor learning during a functional fine motor task. Poster session, American Occupational Therapy Association Inspire. Orlando, FL.
• Sharp, S., Manning, J., Pidcoe, P., & Dexheimer, B. (2024, April). Investigating the lateralized role of posterior parietal cortex for fine motor control during a tablet-based tracing task using HD-tDCS. Poster session, Annual Meeting of the American Society of Neurorehabilitation. San Antonio, TX.