Principal Investigator
Neural Control of Coordinated Movements
Movement Field of a Cell in the Caudal Superior Colliculus of the Rhesus Monkey
In order to interact with objects in our environment we must be able to gather accurate sensory information about our surroundings, distinguish our movements from the movements of objects in the world, and coordinate our own movements in order to orient, and navigate smoothly through a complex environment. In my lab we study the neural control of coordinated orienting behaviors including gaze shifts and pursuit of stationary and moving targets in the head-unrestrained subject. We seek to understand the roles of neurons in the brainstem, cerebellum and cortex in generating and executing these movements within the context of testing critical predictions of models (i.e. hypotheses) of these critical sensorimotor control systems.
We are currenty working on the following projects:
Recent Publications
- (2011 Oct 01). Gaze shift duration, independent of amplitude, influences the number of spikes in the burst for medium-lead burst neurons in pontine reticular formation. Exp Brain Res. 214, 225-39.
- (2010 Oct 20). The locus of motor activity in the superior colliculus of the rhesus monkey is unaltered during saccadic adaptation. J Neurosci. 30, 14235-44.
- (2009 Jan 01). Head-unrestrained gaze adaptation in the rhesus macaque. J Neurophysiol. 101, 164-83.
