Manipulating Arm movement Preparation via a comPuter Interface for Neural decodinG

Our daily behaviors critically depend on our ability to execute carefully planned movements.

While motor planning is known to rely on the motor cortex, the logic by which specific patterns of neural activity in the motor cortex contribute to the planning of a movement remains unknown.

Addressing this issue is not only central to our understanding of the brain, but may also lead to concrete advances in neuroprosthetics.

A recent theory of motor planning proposes that neural dynamics in the motor cortex acts as a dynamical system whose state is optimized via a putative “corrective” mechanism during the planning phase of the movement.

While this theory has had a profound impact on the field, empirical evidence corroborating the existence of such a mechanism is crucially lacking. In this proposal, I devise a 3-step approach to fill this experimental gap and test key predictions of the theory. First, I will design a behavioral task in non-human primates to probe the neural basis of motor planning.

Second, using this task, I will characterize baseline motor cortical dynamics during normal movement preparation.

Finally, I will selectively perturb neural dynamics to assess the existence of a corrective mechanism within the motor cortex.

This manipulation will rely on a highly innovative approach based on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to perform targeted perturbations of neural activity.

The project will combine the technical expertise of the host laboratory in motor control with my own expertise in complex neural data analyses acquired during my PhD. Both the host and I will benefit from the project. I will acquire technical and managerial skills I intend to leverage in my future research.

In turn, I will bring a set of new analytical tools in the host team to complement and expand their existing research.

The project will be a major step in the direction of my future scientific agenda, and will strengthen my application for a permanent research position in France.