Each neuron in the primary motor cortex (M1) is like a musician in an orchestra, contributing to a larger harmony under the constraint of a “neural manifold”—a geometric score describing the correlated signals produced by the neural musicians that drive movement. Despite the widespread recognition of the importance of M1...
Following a stroke, precise, individuated control of single joints is often replaced by highly stereotyped patterns of multi-joint movement, due to a loss of independent joint control, which can negatively impact functional use of the paretic arm. Despite the debilitating nature of this impairment, the precise underlying neural mechanisms remain...
The brain has a remarkable ability to rapidly adapt behavior. On the scale of development, the brain learns to control the complex dynamics of our limbs by forming and pruning synaptic connections. However, the motor system also learns on much shorter timescales, such as when learning to hit the bullseye...