Brain and Movement Laboratory

Dr. Charles Capaday, Professor & Director

07/12/22

Welcome

I was trained in Physiology and Electrical Engineering. There are three main areas of research in my Neuroscience laboratory 1) the neural mechanisms of human walking and 2) the functional organization and operational principles of motor cortical function and 3) the proprioceptive guidance of movements.

   Human and animal neurophysiological experiments run in parallel in the lab. We use a wide variety of neuroscientific methods such as array recordings of single unit activities, iontophoresis, neuron staining, human electrophysiology, magnetic brain stimulation, etc. Optogenetic methods and near infrared spectroscopy to study cortical function and motor control are in the planning.

   My approach to understanding how the brain initiates and controls movements spans many levels of description from the cellular to the behavioral. My training in electrical engineering is an important practical underpinning for these endeavors. Signal and systems analysis, mathematical modeling, and the utilization of complex biomedical instrumentation figure prominently in the day to day activities of my laboratory.

* My views on the cortical control of human walking are here.

** The articles in the Sept. 2001 special issue of the Journal of Integrative Neuroscience on brain and movement are available here.