Brain-wide basis of motor control

In mammals, multiple brain regions —cortex, the basal ganglia, brainstem, and cerebellum— and the spinal cord coordinate their activity to enable the generation of skilled behaviour. Lesion studies, reversible manipulations and neural recordings suggest unique contributions of these different regions, with some ability for behavioural compensation following insults supporting partial redundancy. We are combining computational models, large scale neural recordings, causal manipulations and behavioural experiments —primarily in mice— to further our understanding of the neural basis of both innate and learned skilful behaviour. With collaborators, we are expanding this work to understand how specific neurological conditions lead to their characteristic symptoms by disrupting the intricate brain-wide system underpinning the generation of movement.