I am a neurophysiologist who examines the neural control of movement and the interaction of sensation and movement in human subjects. I study cortical and motoneuronal events during exercise and muscle fatigue, how cortical connections to the motoneurones change with practice of motor tasks, and whether they can be changed artificially. I also study proprioception i.e. the sensations related to relative position and movement of parts of the body and the production of muscle force.
Unravelling The Neural Bases Of The Diverse Capability Of The Grasping Hand
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$387,804.00
Summary
This project aims to unravel how the brain guides the hand to interact with objects in diverse ways, a topic that is poorly understood. We will use fMRI to find active brain areas during object grasps, & then use non-invasive brain stimulation to briefly “shut off” some of these areas, & then identify changes in grasping & previously active brain areas. Insight from this project on the neural bases of diverse hand-object interactions will speed up important work aimed at improving hand function.