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。大脑损伤的一个主要影响是以某种方式使个人失去运动能力。最严重的残疾形式之一是完全或部分丧失肢体的熟练使用能力。熟练的动作包括伸手拿东西、操纵物体、用肢体和手进食的动作。我的研究旨在了解熟练的肢体运动是如何产生和控制的。我特别关心的是了解大脑的不同区域是如何帮助熟练使用肢体的。我正在开发一个熟练使用肢体的动物模型，它最终将展示这些动作是如何进化的，随着个体的成熟，它们是如何发展的，它们在成年人中是如何被控制的，以及它们在学习过程中是如何被修改的。我采用了三种方法进行研究。我通过研究不同动物物种的肢体使用来研究肢体使用的演变。这些结果被绘制到已知的系统发育图上。我使用解剖学方法来理解熟练使用肢体的神经基础。我使用脑功能成像程序来识别功能神经关联。这些研究表明，大脑的不同区域如何有助于熟练使用肢体，以及大脑的未受损部分如何取代受损部分。这项研究还包括脑损伤治疗方法的开发。

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.