Evolution and neural basis of skilled movement

每年大约有6万加拿大人遭受某种形式的脑损伤。脑损伤的一个主要影响是以某种方式使个体运动能力丧失。最严重的残疾形式之一是肢体完全或部分丧失熟练使用能力。熟练的动作包括伸手去拿物体、操纵物体以及使用肢体和手进行喂食的动作。我的研究旨在了解如何产生和控制熟练的肢体运动。我特别关心的是了解大脑的各个区域如何有助于熟练的肢体使用。我正在开发一种熟练使用肢体的动物模型，最终将展示这些运动是如何进化的，它们是如何随着个体的成熟而发展的，它们是如何在成年人中被控制的，以及它们是如何在学习过程中被修改的。我采用三种方法进行研究。我通过研究不同动物物种的肢体使用来研究肢体使用的进化。结果被映射到已知的遗传学上。我使用解剖程序，以了解熟练使用肢体的神经基础。我使用功能性脑成像程序来识别功能性神经关联。这些研究表明大脑的不同区域如何有助于熟练的肢体使用，以及大脑的未受损部分如何替代受损部分。这项研究还包括开发脑损伤的治疗方法。

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.