There are two chief research directions in the lab: neural prosthetics and basic neuroscience. In the first domain, we are exploring a new way to provide sensory feedback in the operation of a neural prosthesis: cortical microstimulation. By providing the brain with a direct representation of the position of the prosthetic arm, we hope to improve the controllability of neural prostheses. Fast, accurate feedback about the position of the prosthetic device may create the sensation that the prosthesis is “embodied”.
Our second research domain is to understand how movements of our eyes change our sensory
experience, and how the brain accounts for those changes, to allow fast and accurate movements.
Every time we move our eyes, a different image is sent to the brain from the retinas. This change
is anticipated by the brain, and is accounted for rapidly, to create a seamless visual experience.
How is visual information passed between neurons to enable accurate goal-directed reaching?