Training Group:

Integrative Neuroscience

Mentor / Lab:

Maria Dadarlat

Specific Research Area / Project:

The sense of proprioception, or the brain’s awareness of the body’s position in space, is critical for tasks involving complex, multi-limb movements. For example, we rely on proprioception when hiking on uneven terrain or playing an instrument. Recent studies have highlighted the role of the mouse primary somatosensory and motor cortices during proprioceptive movement of a single forelimb. However, it remains unclear how proprioception of multiple limbs is represented in the sensorimotor cortex. I am using a systems neuroscience approach to address this question. Through the use of mouse behavior, two-photon microscopy, electrophysiological recording, optogenetic tracing, and histological techniques, I aim to study the neural mechanisms of bimanual proprioceptive processing in the sensorimotor cortex.

About Me:

When I am not running experiments in lab, I try to stay as active as I can. I enjoy going for hikes in my free time – Martell Forest has a pretty intense 7-mile loop that I hike when I’m feeling up for a challenge. I also like to weightlift and go for bike rides to stay active. When I want to do a more lowkey activity, I will lounge on the couch with my husband and dog and watch our favorite TV shows and movies. We also are self-described ice cream connoisseurs, so we like to visit the ice cream shops in town every once in awhile as well (and of course get a pup cup for our dog!).