Human Brain Mapping in Normals and Patient Populations

The effects of a stroke can be ruinous from impairments in the upper arm and body to troubles with speech and hearing. The focus group of patients of this lab range from ages 18 and up and the stroke severity ranges from mild to chronic. In the Prabhakaran lab, the goal is to find neuroimaging tools that will investigate research at the basic science, translational, and clinical levels. We use brain mapping to identify specific functions and their structures to provide an idea of the different cognitive processes involved with memory, reasoning, and language among others. The goal of the stroke plasticity and stroke BCI studies are to find ways to reestablish the brain and muscles in a non-invasive manner and help patients regain their muscle control.

The human brain is the most powerful organ that we have. The brain is responsible for almost all conducts involving motor functions. There are four sections of our brain that attribute to these different movements of anything from our feet to our gums. The four sections include:

• The Primary Motor Cortex (M1)
  • The primary motor cortex is located in the frontal lobe and generates neural impulses that control execution of movement. It also is accountable for signals that cross on the opposite side of body, meaning that the left hemisphere of the brain controls the right side of the body and the right hemisphere of the brain controls the rights side of the body.
• Posterior Parietal Cortex
  • The posterior parietal cortex transforms visual information into motor commands and sends this information to the premotor cortex or the supplementary motor area. For example, steering the leg to kick a soccer ball based on the location of the soccer ball.
• Premotor Cortex
  • The premotor cortex is located just in front of the primary motor cortex and is involved in the sensory guidance of movement and controls the proximal and trunk muscles. It will then send the information to only the primary motor cortex. Using the soccer ball example, the premotor cortex would be responsible for orienting the body in a certain position before kicking the soccer ball.
• Supplementary Motor Area (SMA)
  • The supplementary motor area is located on the midline surface of the hemisphere in front of the primary motor cortex and is in charge of planning complex movements and two-handed movements and then sends this information to the primary motor cortex.