Principal Investigators

Photo of Greg Gdowski
Greg T. Gdowski, Ph.D. University of Rochester work Box 603 601 Elmwood Ave Rochester NY 14642 office: MC 5-7510D p 585-275-2580
Photo of Martha Gdowski
Martha Johnson Gdowski, Ph.D. University of Rochester work Box 603 601 Elmwood Ave Rochester NY 14642 office: MC 5-7510 p 585-275-1465

Contact

Gdowski / Johnson Gdowski Labs University of Rochester p 585-276-0261 f 585-276-0261

Affiliations

Sensorimotor Integration

Our laboratory is interested in the neural processes underlying the integration of sensory information with the signals that control voluntary and reflexive movements. The projects in the lab follow either of two main directions. One set of projects examines the behavioral and neuromuscular consequences of stimulation to the body that activates the vestibular system, triggering changes in the mechanisms that drive and control posture. The second set of projects probes the contributions of the basal ganglia in the generation of voluntary limb movements.

Sensorimotor control of postural reflexes

Moving within our environment is a basic function essential to every day life. Although movements can be considered simple changes in position of some body part, each movement is produced and controlled differently by the central nervous system depending upon the context. Movements are commonly classified as either voluntary or reflexive, yet almost every movement has both components. Even walking involves the coordination of reflexive head movements that are necessary to stabilize the visual scene on the retina and voluntary limb movements. The overall goal of my research is to elucidate how sensory signals, in particular those of the vestibular system, are used in the control and coordination of reflexive and voluntary movements.A main focus of my research is the study of reflexes that reorient the head with respect to the body (vestibulo-collic reflexes, VCR). These likely assist in the prevention of whiplash injuries, which annually affect over 1 million lives in the U.S. alone.

Sensorimotor integration with the Basal Ganglia

Coordinated behaviors are composed of sequential or parallel processes (cognitive, sensory, associative, etc.) that often lead to motor output. The basal ganglia (BG), a collection of several deep brain nuclei, is thought to interact extensively with multiple motor structures (as examples, the cortex and thalamus) during these processes. The global objective of our laboratory is to elucidate how neurons in each of the BG nuclei participate within a neural network to mediate different aspects of behavior. Our laboratory is actively pursuing questions related to the functional organization of the basal ganglia through two primary projects.