Action, gait, and cognition in movement disorders
The diversity of symptoms in movement disorders exposes the complexity of the neural control of action. Coordinated movement and gait requires integration between the motor system, sensory information about the external environment and state of the body, current goals and past experience. As a result, normal movement relies on intact communication across widely distributed brain networks.
My lab studies circuit mechanisms of action and cognition in healthy people and people with Movement Disorders to understand neural mechanisms and identify biomarkers that can guide the development of novel and personalized treatments. We believe that explaining the neural underpinnings of disease heterogeneity will be integral to advancing therapies. We combine detailed behavioral and kinematic measurements with neural recordings (fMRI, EEG, and intraoperative electrophysiology) and neuromodulation (DBS, TMS) techniques.
