Mehrdad Kashefi

Compositionality of motor cortical dynamics during reaching

How does the brain move the arm from one place to another? This work shows that activity in the motor cortex is built from three parts working together: one keeps track of where the arm is, another produces a neural activity pattern that carries the arm from one position to the next, and a third marks how far along the movement is.

A reach shown in the arm's workspace and as trajectories in M1-like and PMd-like neural state spaces.

Sequence learning in human

Learning a sequential movement involves understanding both what to do and how to do it. This project introduces a paradigm that disentangles these often-intertwined components.

Schematic of selection and motor stages for random versus practiced sequences.

Sequence production in human

This study explores how humans adjust their planning of ongoing reaching movements when multiple upcoming movements are also known in advance.

Timelines of planning and execution for reaches with one, two, or three targets known in advance.