What appears to be an effortless movement is in fact the final product of a series of complex processes that rely on the integration of sensory information with motor commands.

Work at the Neural Control of Movement Laboratory focuses on the hand as a model to investigate the mechanisms underlying sensorimotor integration responsible for motor learning and control. The questions addressed by our work include the role of vision and tactile input for learning and controlling object manipulation, neural mechanisms underlying the synergistic control of multiple hand muscles, and the effect of neurological disorders and neuropathies on hand control. We use a number of complementary experimental and analytical approaches ranging from measuring the electrical activity of muscles (EMG) and electrotactile stimulation to recording digit motion and forces associated with object manipulation.

Current work in the Neural Control of Movement Laboratory focuses on:

• Sensorimotor coordination of multidigit grasping
• Electro-tactile stimulation and sensory substitution
• Hand Kinematics