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Robotics Institute
Seminar, February 16, 2007
Time and Place | Seminar Abstract | Speaker Biography | Speaker Appointments
Neural Mechanisms of Arm Movement Control: Basic Science and Neural Engineering
Aaron Batista
Assistant Professor
Mauldin Auditorium (NSH
1305)
Refreshments 3:15 pm
Talk 3:30 pm
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Abstract |
Our arm movements are swift and accurate. Researchers are gradually unraveling the intricate neural processing that underlies sensory-motor behavior. If we can understand how movements are controlled by the brain, we can use that information to design devices that harness neural signals and restore motor function to paralyzed individuals.
I will present some recent discoveries about the behavior of the premotor cortex, a cortical area that sends signals to the spinal cord. We found that neurons in the premotor cortex encode reach goals in a complex manner that incorporates information about where an animal is looking, along with signals about where he plans to reach. The implications of this finding for neural prosthetics will be explored. Also, we recently established that neural coding in the premotor cortex remains stable over time - a helpful trait for the prospect of using this area as a substrate for a neural prosthesis. The talk will conclude with a brief description of some salient future directions in motor neuroscience and neural engineering.
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Speaker Biography |
Aaron Batista has recently joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh as an assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering. His research explores how arm and eye movements are planned and performed by the brain. Dr. Batista earned his Ph.D. in the Computation and Neural Systems program at Caltech. He comes to Pittsburgh after completing postdoctoral training in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University.
The Robotics Institute is part of the School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University.