Dr. Osmar Pinto Neto

Assistant Professor CEHHS Kinesiology
(760) 750-7364
osmar@csusm.edu
University Hall 300

About Osmar Pinto Neto

Assistant Professor of Kinesiology — California State University San Marcos (USA)
Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering — Universidade Anhembi Morumbi (Brazil)

Email: osmar@csusm.edu
Phone: +1 (442) 416-0823

I build human-centered neuromechanical intelligence: quantitative bridges from internal brain–body states (neurological health, fatigue, motivation) to measurable movement. My lab fuses low-burden sensing (voice, grip force, stabilometry/sway, EMG, ECG/HRV), probabilistic modeling + interpretable ML, and adaptive, human-in-the-loop interfaces (tDCS/tES + exercise, VR/AR, assistive/rehab robotics). Our goal is early diagnosis and state-aware rehabilitation—starting with Parkinson’s disease (PD)—and translation to aging, fatigue, and human performance.

I’ve published 60+ peer-reviewed papers spanning neuromuscular signal processing, motor control/learning, and clinical translation, including a highly cited methods paper in Journal of Neurophysiology (EMG rectification/oscillations) and a Nature Communications study on city-scale optimization during COVID-19. Current projects engage clinical and human-performance partners and draw on collaborations with NASA-linked teams (altered-gravity neuromechanics) and MIT (atmospheric electrodynamics with Prof. Earle Williams).

Research

Research Themes

Predictive biomarkers from human–system interaction
Device-agnostic, interpretable models from voice, grip-force dynamics, sway, and muscle coherence for early PD detection and longitudinal monitoring.
Adaptive neuromodulation & rehabilitation
Closed-loop tDCS/tES + exercise that adapts to HRV/ANS indices, tremor power, sway entropy, and engagement.
Motivation-aware augmentation
VR/AR and assistive/rehab robotics that infer latent “engagement” to co-adapt task difficulty and haptics.

Active Collaborations & Ecosystem

NASA-linked neuromechanics (altered-/partial-gravity, parabolic flight; with Texas A&M/Aerospace).
MIT (Earle Williams) on lightning/electrodynamics methods and time-frequency analysis.
Clinical partners for PD and aging cohorts; community clinics for home-ready, low-burden sensing.

Selected Publications (2024-25)

Grip force variability and deep learning: a cross-sectional biomarker for early PD. NeuroMarkers 2(3):100106, 2025.
High-accuracy PD classification via ensemble ML and stabilometric biomarkers. Neurology International 17(9):133, 2025. (co-first)
Accuracy and stability in non-immersive VR: display type & body position. Human Movement Science 101:103360, 2025.
Bimanual coordination & neuromuscular synchronization in PD and healthy adults. Experimental Brain Research 243(4):104, 2025.
Reduction in global lightning activity during the COVID pandemic. JGR: Atmospheres 130(8), 2025. (with MIT collaborators)
Human Pinealectomy Syndrome & cardiovascular function; melatonin therapy. Journal of Pineal Research 77(3), 2025.
Combining tDCS with exercise improves mobility, stability & tremor in PD (n=25). Neurology International 16(6):1223–1238, 2024.
Harnessing voice analysis + ML for early PD (3 datasets). Journal of Voice, 2024.
The effect of simulated Martian gravity on bimanual control. Human Movement Science 95:103199, 2024.
High/low pitch effects on heart–brain coupling. Biomedical Engineering Letters 14(2):331–339, 2024.
Earlier foundation: EMG rectification impairs identification of 13–60 Hz oscillatory input. Journal of Neurophysiology 103(2):1093–1103, 2010.
COVID-19 intervention optimization (evolutionary multi-objective). Nature Communications 12, 2020.

(Google Scholar: h-index 25; Web of Science: h-index 17.)

Courses

KINE 303: Statistics & Research Methods
KINE 503: Advanced Statistical Analysis (R/Python)
KINE 425: Biomechanics of Human Movement
Special Topics: Motor Control in Special Populations

Mentoring & Service

Advised 16 MS and 12 PhD students across institutions; vertical team mentoring with open, reproducible pipelines. University service includes IRB, Academic Senate, and Undergraduate Research committees. Founder of community programs providing full scholarships for under-represented youth athletes in São Paulo.

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