Evolution and neural basis of skilled movement

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Each year approximately 60,000 Canadians suffer some form of brain damage. A major effect of brain damage is to leave the individual motorically incapacitated in some way. One of the most serious forms of disability is the complete or partial loss of skilled use of a limb. Skilled movements include movements of reaching for objects, manipulating objects, and using the limb and hands for feeding. My research is directed toward understanding how skilled limb movements are produced and controlled. I am especially concerned with understanding how various regions of the brain contribute to skilled limb use. I am developing an animal model of skilled limb use which eventually will show how these movements evolved, how they develop as an individual matures, how they are controlled in the adult, and how they are modified during learning. I employ three approaches to the research. I study the evolution of limb use by examining limb use in different animal species. The results are mapped onto known phylogenies. I use anatomical procedures in order to understand the neural basis of skilled limb use. I use functional brain imaging procedures to identify functional neural correlates. These studies indicate how different regions of the brain contribute to skilled limb use and how undamaged portions of the brain substitute for damaged portions. This research also includes the development of therapies for brain injury.