Movement Planning And Control

Excellence Generates Excellence

Applying theoretic concepts to the problems that plague humanity, ELSC’s interdisciplinary teams are probing the mysteries of the brain though a wide range of research studies. Guided by computational neuroscience, each subject is examined by a number of teams that investigate them from different perspectives. Among the principal areas being investigated are: Movement Planning and Control; Sensation and Perception; Consciousness and Cognition; and Neurological Disorders.

Research into basic questions such as how the motor system translates visual information, how motor neurons learn new patterns of movement – and how and where learned movements are stored in motor memory – is assisting ELSC scientists in the development of Brain Machine Interfaces (BMIs).

This technology establishes a direct communication pathway between the brain and an external device, re-routing movement-related signals that bypass damaged parts of the nervous system. Technological and scientific advances have made it possible to construct robotic limbs that are controlled by commands from the brain's motor cortex, giving people with paralyzed or amputated limbs hope for the restoration of their quality of life. Acquiring greater insight into how the motor cortex works will help ELSC scientists create an increasingly seamless bond between the artificial limbs and the human brain.