About The Center
Overview
A fundamental feature of animal evolution is the advent and expansion of the nervous system. Among the most compelling outcomes are the neural and somatic mechanisms that support purposeful movement through the environment and effective communication between freely navigating individuals. These tasks entail coordination across multiple motor behaviors with the aid of several sensory modalities. Navigation and communication are fundamentally important to survival and are hallmarks of natural selection. These functions are also among the first to encounter trouble in the aged or diseased nervous system, and failures lead to errors that are potentially catastrophic (e.g. driving accidents, falls in the elderly).
We have established the Center for Navigation and Communication Sciences, supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), that is specifically dedicated to research on the sensory, motor, and integrative mechanisms underlying these essential functions. Key topics of research focus on two general areas: multi-sensory interactions and sensorimotor integration underlying communication and navigation, and plasticity, learning and recovery of function. These are not mutually exclusive, and are indeed synergistic. Our integrated approach recognizes that no sensory or motor modality evolved alone, but rather in tandem to support the complexities of daily activities.
Further, by understanding the principles underlying our ability to navigate through our environment and to communicate with others, and how these functions fail with aging and disease, the CNCS addresses important clinical and public health concerns. In so doing, the CNCS enhances our contributions to the health and well being of our community.
Structural Features
The Center allows investigators to efficiently share costly, time-consuming, essential but cumbersome, and in many cases innovative research services.
Research Cores
- Human Subjects Core
- Consolidates and coordinates the recruitment, screening, and scheduling of subjects across relevant projects within the Center.
- Research Services Core
- Includes a Histology & Imaging Unit and an Electronic and Mechanical Shop.
- Technology & Computation Core
- Includes a Lab Technology Unit and a Complementary Computation Unit.
Each of three cores is designed to maximize utility among the largest proportion of the CNCS faculty, and to enhance the effectiveness and productivity of our individual and collaborative research programs.
The Center also supports a new seminar series (visiting scientists) related to its research mission. The combination of Core support and Center activities catalyzes new interactions and collaborations, both technologic and scientific, directly resulting from its missions. The CNCS exploits our inherently collegiate environment, enriches our research productivity, promotes collaborations among investigators, and attracts new faculty and students to the Center's areas of interest.