OIST Workshop "Sensorimotor Circuits for Limb Control"

Limb movements, such as those required for locomotion and dexterous behaviors, are essential for our daily lives. On any given day we may walk, run, drink coffee, operate a smartphone, type on a keyboard, exercise, or even play a musical instrument. These behaviors require exquisite control and coordination of dozens to hundreds of muscles, which ultimately can only be recruited by motor neurons in the ventral spinal cord. Motor neuron activity is regulated by diverse neural pathways located locally in the spinal cord as well as in supraspinal areas such as the cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum, midbrain and brainstem.  Equally critical to coordinated movements are sensory systems that are continuously involved in feedback control. Injury or disease can cause debilitating movement deficits as diverse as the motor or sensory circuits they disrupt. This workshop brings together world-class researchers whose work is revealing how motor and sensory systems in the brain, spinal cord and periphery control precise patterns of muscle activity during behaviors, and how damaged sensorimotor circuits are reorganized or repaired to achieve motor recovery.

Three days will be filled with talks, formal and informal discussions, poster presentations and sightseeing in the local Okinawa area. We encourage applications from graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty in any related field.

Visit the workshop website for more details.