Dr Johnny Vic Vincent Parr PhD
Senior Lecturer
Cognitive PsychoNeuroBiomechanist
My profile
Biography
Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Science with expertise in psychophysiology and motor control. Research spans neurocognitive and sensorimotor processes underpinning skilled movement in both clinical and performance contexts. Research publications broadly cover topics such as the neural mechanisms of prosthetic hand control, gaze and EEG dynamics in visuomotor coordination, and balance and mobility challenges in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). His work employs techniques such as EEG, eye tracking, and corticomuscular coherence to investigate how attentional focus, anxiety, and cognitive load influence motor performance.
Projects
- Cortical control of balance in developmental coordination disorder – Using EEG to investigate how the brain responds to balance challenges in children and adults with DCD, aiming to identify neural markers of fall risk.
- Psychophysiological responses to soccer heading – Examining the acute effects of heading a football on brain activity and brain–muscle communication.
- Neuromechanics of ACL rehabilitation – Exploring cortical and corticomuscular mechanisms supporting functional recovery following anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.
- Prosthetic hand learning and grip uncertainty – Assessing whether training with reduced grip uncertainty enhances motor learning, eye-hand coordination, and user experience in prosthesis use.
- Expectation and balance control – Investigating how anticipatory processes shape cortical responses to balance perturbations and influence postural stability.
Teaching
Courses
Supervision
Current PhD students being supervised as director of studies or co-supervisor:
- 2024 - Investigating the effects of repetitive football heading upon resting state fMRI (Holly Howden-Rowley, Manchester Metropolitan University)
- 2023 - Longitudinally measuring the cortical and corticomuscular adaptations to Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction from pre- to post surgery (Callum Jarvis, Manchester Metropolitan University)
- 2022 - Can training with reduced grip uncertainty improve visuomotor control strategies when learning to use a prosthetic hand? (Mohamed Omar Mohamed, Manchester Metropolitan University)
Research outputs
- Journal articles
Journal articles
Mohamed, M.O., Wood, G., Wright, D.J., Uiga, L., Masters, R.S.W., Parr, J.V.V. (2025) 'Effects of movement-specific reinvestment on upper-limb prosthesis control and user experience.' Disability and Rehabilitation,
Parr, J.V.V., Mills, R., Kal, E., Bronstein, A.M., Ellmers, T.J. (2024) 'A "conscious" loss of balance: directing attention to movement can impair the cortical response to postural perturbations.' The Journal of Neuroscience, 44(48)
Parr, J.V.V., Gallicchio, G., Wood, G. (2024) 'Comments on “The relationship between T7‑Fz alpha coherence and peak performance in self‑paced sports: a meta‑analytical review” (Raman, Filho, Exp Brain., 2024): a verbal (analytical) disagreement.' Experimental Brain Research, 242(11) pp. 2487-2488.
Mohamed, M.O., Wood, G., Wright, D.J., Parr, J.V.V. (2024) 'Reducing Grip Uncertainty During Initial Prosthetic Hand Use Improves Eye-Hand Coordination and Lowers Mental Workload.' Journal of Motor Behavior, 56(4) pp. 475-485.
Shipley, I., Esselaar, M., Wood, S., Parr, J.V.V., Wright, D.J., Wood, G. (2024) 'The self-reported driving and pedestrian behaviour of adults with developmental coordination disorder.' PLoS One, 19(5)
Zambolin, F., Duro Ocana, P., Goulding, R., Sanderson, A., Venturelli, M., Wood, G., McPhee, J., Parr, J.V.V. (2024) 'The corticomuscular response to experimental pain via blood flow occlusion when applied to the ipsilateral and contralateral leg during an isometric force task.' Psychophysiology, 61(3)
Esselaar, M., Parr, J.V.V., Wood, G., Hodson-Tole, E. (2023) 'Children with developmental coordination disorder have less variable motor unit firing rate characteristics across contractions compared to typically developing children.' Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 17
Marshall, B., Uiga, L., Parr, J.V.V., Wood, G. (2023) 'A preliminary investigation into the efficacy of training soccer heading in immersive virtual reality.' Virtual Reality, 27(3) pp. 2397-2404.
Hadwin, K.J., Wood, G., Payne, S., Mackintosh, C., Parr, J.V.V. (2023) 'Strengths and weaknesses of the MABC-2 as a diagnostic tool for developmental coordination disorder: an online survey of occupational therapists and physiotherapists.' PLoS One, 18(6) pp. e0286751-e0286751.
Parr, J.V.V., Galpin, A., Uiga, L., Marshall, B., Wright, D.J., Franklin, Z.C., Wood, G. (2023) 'A tool for measuring mental workload during prosthesis use: the Prosthesis Task Load Index (PROS-TLX).' PLoS One, 18(5) pp. e0285382-e0285382.
Parr, J.V.V., Uiga, L., Marshall, B., Wood, G. (2023) 'Soccer heading immediately alters brain function and brain-muscle communication.' Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 17pp. 1145700-1145700.
Parr, J.V.V., Gallicchio, G., Canales-Johnson, A., Uiga, L., Wood, G. (2023) 'Cortical, muscular, and kinetic activity underpinning attentional focus strategies during visuomotor control.' Psychophysiology, 60(6) pp. e14249-e14249.
Parr, J.V.V., Hodson-Tole, E., Wood, G. (2022) 'Short report presenting preliminary evidence of impaired corticomuscular coherence in an individual with Developmental Coordination Disorder.' Research in Developmental Disabilities, 131pp. 104355-104355.
Parr, J.V.V., Wright, D.J., Uiga, L., Marshall, B., Mohamed, M.O., Wood, G. (2021) 'A scoping review of the application of motor learning principles to optimize myoelectric prosthetic hand control.' Prosthetics and Orthotics International, 46(3) pp. 274-281.
Thomas, N.M., Skervin, T.K., Foster, R.J., Parr, J.V., Carpenter, M.G., O'Brien, T.D., Maganaris, C.N., Baltzopoulos, V., Lees, C., Hollands, M.A. (2021) 'Influence of step-surface visual properties on confidence, anxiety, dynamic stability, and gaze behaviour in young and older adults.' Human Movement Science, 77pp. 102774-102774.
Parr, J., Gallicchio, G., Wood, G. (2021) 'EEG correlates of verbal and conscious processing of motor control in sport and human movement: a systematic review.' International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 16(1) pp. 396-427.
Parr, J.V.V., Foster, R.J., Wood, G., Thomas, N.M., Hollands, M.A. (2020) 'Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder Show Altered Visuomotor Control During Stair Negotiation Associated With Heightened State Anxiety.' Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14
Parr, J.V.V., Gallicchio, G., Harrison, N.R., Johnen, A.K., Wood, G. (2020) 'All talk? Challenging the use of left-temporal EEG alpha oscillations as valid measures of verbal processing and conscious motor control.' Biological Psychology, 155
Parr, J.V.V., Foster, R.J., Wood, G., Hollands, M.A. (2020) 'Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder Exhibit Greater Stepping Error Despite Similar Gaze Patterns and State Anxiety Levels to Their Typically Developing Peers.' Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14
Buckingham, G., Parr, J., Wood, G., Day, S., Chadwell, A., Head, J., Galpin, A., Kenney, L., Kyberd, P., Gowen, E., Poliakoff, E. (2019) 'Upper- and lower-limb amputees show reduced levels of eeriness for images of prosthetic hands.' Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 26(4) pp. 1295-1302.
Parr, J.V.V., Vine, S.J., Wilson, M.R., Harrison, N.R., Wood, G. (2019) 'Visual attention, EEG alpha power and T7-Fz connectivity are implicated in prosthetic hand control and can be optimized through gaze training.' Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, 16(1)
Buckingham, G., Parr, J.V.V.V., Wood, G.W., Vine, S.J., Dimitriou, P., Day, S. (2018) 'The impact of using an upper-limb prosthesis on the perception of real and illusory weight differences.' Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 25(4) pp. 1507-1516.
Wood, G.W., Vine, S.J., Parr, J.V.V., Wilson, M.R. (2017) 'Aiming to deceive: Examining the role of the quiet eye during deceptive aiming actions.' Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 39(5) pp. 327-338.
Parr, J.V.V., Vine, S.J., Harrison, N.R., Wood, G.W. (2017) 'Examining the spatiotemporal disruption to gaze when using a myoelectric prosthetic hand.' Journal of Motor Behavior, 50(4) pp. 416-425.
Press and media
Johnny’s work exploring the effects of soccer heading upon brain health has received international attention across major news outlets. Some examples include: