Ph.D. Candidate, Stanford
February 11, 2008
Our seemingly effortless ability to make coordinated movements belies the sophisticated computations at work in our nervous system. It has long been recognized that, before moving, we somehow prepare neural activity such that, when called upon, the desired movement unfolds. However, the mechanisms underlying movement preparation remain poorly understood. In this talk, I will highlight our recent work to investigate the neural basis of reach preparation. I will discuss the electrophysiological evidence we have gathered, and I will pay particular attention to our algorithmic developments (primarily machine learning based) that enhance this investigation. Finally, an improved understanding of reach preparation should also enhance the performance of neural prosthetic systems. I will demonstrate some of our results in prostheses utilizing neural plan information.
About John Cunningham