Sensory mechanisms in arm motor control

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You lift a cup of coffee differently every time but almost never spill. This contrast leads to a fundamental question in sensorimotor neuroscience: why are such inconsistent movements so consistently successful? A recent and influential theory of motor control called "optimal feedback control" provides a novel perspective from which to address this fundamental question. That is, when faced with multiple sources of noise the best strategy is to correct variability only when it impacts the global goal of the task. In this grant, I propose three different tests of this proposition, termed the minimum intervention principle, and related studies that help probe its underlying neural mechanisms. As an early career researcher, this work represents an important first step in my long-term research program, which aims to reveal the neural basis of naturalistic reaching, grasping and object manipulation. The results of this research program will be of broad interest to sensorimotor neuroscientists and may benefit ongoing work into brain-machine interfaces, humanoid robots, and motor performance in both health and disease.