Research Projects

Our lab is equipped with a BiStim transcranial magnetic stimulator (TMS), transcranial direct current stimulator (tDCS), 64 channel electroencephalogram system (EEG), electromyography system (EMG), nerve stimulator, high-end desktops for the display of time-accurate sensory stimuli, and other custom built-devices that allow us to study motor actions in detail. Depending on the student's interests and inclination, any of these pieces of equipment could be incorporated into the project (or not). The experiments are programmed in Matlab or PsychoPy. While I have no expectation that honors students will be able to program their experiments from scratch, this can be a unique opportunity to learn valued programming skills.

1. Facilitating movement via sensory stimulation:

Unexpected loud noises can elicit reflexive reactions within very short latencies (e.g. blink reflex). Frequent exposure to these loud noises, however, can result in habituation, and as a result the suppression of involuntary reactions (see this video). Interestingly, when a person is preparing to perform a motor action, the presentation of a loud and brief (50 ms) acoustic stimulus can cause the initiation of the prepared action much earlier than normal - a phenomenon named StartReact effect. Contrary to reflexive responses, the StartReact effect does not seem to be suppressed by the repetition of the acoustic stimulus. We are investigating the neural basis of this observation using non-invasive brain stimulation and EEG to assess cortical processes during movement preparation. It is possible that these mechanisms can be exploited to benefit rehabilitation of movement difficulties resulting from stroke and Parkinson's disease, in which the ability to initiate movement is impaired.

Possible research projects under this research theme include but are not limited to:

* The effects of sensory stimuli on sensorimotor learning and perception.

* The influence of muscle connectivity on the manifestation of the StartReact effect.

* The effects of task demands (e.g. force, direction, end-point accuracy) on the StartReact effect.

* The interactions between temporal predictability and sensory stimuli on brain responses.

If you are interested in this line of research, a good starting point can be found here.

2. Past experiences affect future motor actions.

Humans are really quick to select and execute actions necessary to survive in a constantly changing environment, but this capacity depends greatly upon past experience. Motor actions tend to be more accurate if regularly practised, and often repeated actions will be initiated more rapidly if past experience allows their anticipation (the reason athletes engage in daily drills to master a motor skill). However, proper anticipation is not the only determinant of accurate motor performance as neural adaptation induced by recently executed actions can also affect movement accuracy. We are interested in examining the effects of anticipation and movement history on movement accuracy.

There are several possible projects that could be studied under this research theme including:

* The effects of preparation time on movement accuracy and learning.

* The effect of preparation time on saccadic eye-movement's accuracy.

If you are interested in this line of research, a good starting point can be found here.