What we do
From the reach to the alarm clock in the morning to switching off the bedside lamp at night, our brain constantly generates various skilled actions that allow us to interact with our environment. These actions can further be performed using different strategies - relying on different sensory feedback and using different motor outputs - depending on the available information or how the action was initially learned.
This fundamental property, that the same functional output can be generated by different structural components of a system, constitutes an example of biological degeneracy - thought to be a common characteristic of complex systems. An extreme example of degeneracy in the sensorimotor system is the case of Ian Waterman, who completely lost his sense of touch and proprioception through damage to sensory neurons. Initially paralyzed by this condition, he relearned to move by relying instead solely on visual feedback and motor imagery.
Movements are generated by a highly interconnected sensorimotor network where higher order areas such as the sensorimotor cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum receive information from ascending sensory pathways and generate actions through descending pathways. Our goal is to gain network-level understanding of how degeneracy is implemented in this organizational structure. We investigate how higher order areas integrate sensory feedback from ascending pathways and send their commands through different descending pathways to generate actions under distinct control strategies.
How we do it
We use novel behavior paradigms in which head-fixed mice perform reaching movements to spatial targets using various control strategies. To dissect the underlying neural circuitry, we combine this behavior with intersectional anatomical mapping, precise neural circuit and muscle recordings, pathway-specific manipulations, and computational analysis.
Our impact
Leverage degeneracy for motor recovery
Our research will uncover circuit-level principles of sensorimotor control that can be applied towards novel therapeutic approaches to enhance anatomical and functional reorganization and improve motor recovery after nervous system injury.
Discover common principles of brain function
By investigating how degeneracy emerges from the brain’s structural organization in a tractable circuit and model behavior, we seek to uncover principles and computations that are shared between brain functions in which different strategies exist, such as spatial navigation and cognitive processes.
