Control of limb movements by motor cortical circuit dynamics (360G-Wellcome-202111_Z_16_Z)

£99,500

The control of limb movements has been richly investigated both at the level of behaviour and in cortical electrophysiology. However, a unified theoretical understanding of how limbs are controlled by collective neuronal dynamics is lacking. The core of this proposal is an analysis-by-synthesis approach to relate the dynamics of the motor cortex to the computational objective of limb control. In this pilot project, we will make use of recent developments in the fields of stochastic optimal control and optimization to build model cortical networks that robustly control reaching movements, in the presence of noise at all processing stages and under key physiological constraints inherent to brain circuits. We will then 1) dissect the dynamical strategies used by the model networks to achieve robust control of limb trajectories, 2) relate the model's activity to cortical electrophysiology, and 3) use the models to guide future experiments (involving optogenetic perturbations during movement planning an execution) in collaboration with Karel Svoboda's lab at Janelia Research Campus. In the long term, such models will provide unique insights into the dynamical regime of the motor cortex and suggest optimal ways of interacting with neuronal populations to restore lost function via closed-loop neuroprosthetics.

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Grant Details

Amount Awarded 99500
Applicant Surname Hennequin
Approval Committee Science Seeds Advisory Panel
Award Date 2016-04-08T00:00:00+00:00
Financial Year 2015/16
Grant Programme: Title Seed Award in Science
Internal ID 202111/Z/16/Z
Lead Applicant Dr Guillaume Hennequin
Partnership Value 99500
Planned Dates: End Date 2018-11-19T00:00:00+00:00
Planned Dates: Start Date 2016-07-20T00:00:00+00:00
Recipient Org: Country United Kingdom
Region East of England