Our research focuses on the cortical basis of motor control and learning. We are investigating what features of motor behavior are encoded and how this information is represented in the collective activity of large neuronal ensembles in the motor, premotor, and somatosensory cortices. We are also interested in what way these representations change as motor learning occurs. Our approach has been to simultaneously record neural activity from large groups of neurons using multi-electrode arrays while performing detailed kinematic, kinetic, and muscle measurements of goal-directed, motor behaviors, and to develop mathematical models that relate neural activity with behavior. These mathematical models provide insights as to what aspects of motor behavior are being encoded in cortical neurons, but also can be used to decipher or “decode” neural activity in order to predict movement which has practical implications for brain-machine interface development. Ultimately, this research may lead to neural prosthetic technologies that will allow people with spinal cord injury, ALS, or amputation to use brain signals to voluntarily control a device so as to interact with the world.
Brown University
Providence, RI
- Neuroscience
1998
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA
- Neuroscience
1995
Brown University
Providence, RI
Ph.D. - Cognitive Science
1992
Brown University
Providence, RI
Sc.M. - Psychology
1991
Williams College
Williamstown, MA
B.A. - Physics
1984
Motor somatotopy impacts imagery strategy success in human intracortical brain-computer interfaces.
Motor somatotopy impacts imagery strategy success in human intracortical brain-computer interfaces. J Neural Eng. 2025 Mar 05; 22(2).
PMID: 39993333
How different immersive environments affect intracortical brain computer interfaces.
How different immersive environments affect intracortical brain computer interfaces. J Neural Eng. 2025 Feb 10; 22(1).
PMID: 39883960
A Generalist Intracortical Motor Decoder.
A Generalist Intracortical Motor Decoder. bioRxiv. 2025 Feb 06.
PMID: 39975007
Tactile edges and motion via patterned microstimulation of the human somatosensory cortex.
Tactile edges and motion via patterned microstimulation of the human somatosensory cortex. Science. 2025 01 17; 387(6731):315-322.
PMID: 39818881
A Roadmap for Implanting Electrode Arrays to Evoke Tactile Sensations Through Intracortical Stimulation.
A Roadmap for Implanting Electrode Arrays to Evoke Tactile Sensations Through Intracortical Stimulation. Hum Brain Mapp. 2024 Dec 15; 45(18):e70118.
PMID: 39720868
A novel robot-assisted method for implanting intracortical sensorimotor devices for brain-computer interface studies: principles, surgical techniques, and challenges.
A novel robot-assisted method for implanting intracortical sensorimotor devices for brain-computer interface studies: principles, surgical techniques, and challenges. J Neurosurg. 2025 May 01; 142(5):1280-1288.
PMID: 39642366
Evoking stable and precise tactile sensations via multi-electrode intracortical microstimulation of the somatosensory cortex.
Evoking stable and precise tactile sensations via multi-electrode intracortical microstimulation of the somatosensory cortex. Nat Biomed Eng. 2024 Dec 06.
PMID: 39643730
A dynamic subset of network interactions underlies tuning to natural movements in marmoset sensorimotor cortex.
A dynamic subset of network interactions underlies tuning to natural movements in marmoset sensorimotor cortex. Nat Commun. 2024 12 03; 15(1):10517.
PMID: 39627212
Motor somatotopy impacts imagery strategy success in human intracortical brain-computer interfaces.
Motor somatotopy impacts imagery strategy success in human intracortical brain-computer interfaces. medRxiv. 2024 Aug 03.
PMID: 39132484
How different immersive environments affect intracortical brain computer interfaces.
How different immersive environments affect intracortical brain computer interfaces. bioRxiv. 2024 Jul 31.
PMID: 39131333
Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching and Mentoring
University of Chicago
2016