While fascinated by how the brain controls numerous behaviors such as perception, memory, emotion and consciousness, we chose to study the mechanisms underlying motor control – the sole output of our body. There are three main rationales behind our choice. First, the fundamental principles governing motor control – muscle contractions, have been well characterized. In principle, the neural mechanisms underlying motor control can be fully elucidated if we can decipher how neural activities coordinate the spatiotemporal activation of muscle groups. Second, when studying animal models, movement is usually what we can directly observe. Unlike cognitive processes, which usually require human interpretation, we can directly quantify body movements. Furthermore, the rapid advancements in AI offer unprecedented opportunities for quantifying and modeling body movements. Third, on a philosophical level, we think the sensorimotor function may share similar computing principles with cognitive functions. With its inputs and outputs relatively easier to quantify and interpret, we think studying the neural mechanisms for sensorimotor control is a promising avenue towards understanding how the brain works.
Specifically, our research focuses on the roles of cerebellar and brainstem neural circuits in sensorimotor control. We combine large-scale electrophysiological recording, quantitative behavior paradigms, circuit tracing, circuit manipulations, computation and modeling, to characterize neural mechanisms underlying both normal sensorimotor functions and essential tremor – the most common movement disorder. For additional details, please refer to the Research section.