Emily Sperry

Mary Gates Research Scholar, Winter 2024

Research Project: Simultaneous Targeting of Shared Laminar Computations in Premotor and Primary Motor Cortices

Research Project Description: When we want to pick an apple up off a table, we go through two steps: planning and execution. Our brain must first plan how far and how fast to reach, and then it must send signals to arm muscles to execute this plan. Planning related signals are generally seen in the premotor cortex whereas execution related signals are seen in the primary motor cortex. However, we are unsure of how planning related signals are transformed into execution related signals, and how these signals are moved from premotor cortex to primary motor cortex, as these two areas are two anatomically different areas of the brain. The goal of this project is to determine how these two areas share signals to coordinate movement by designing a fixture to hold two electrodes in both areas at the same time and then comparing how the signals correlate with one another.

What advice do you have for future Mary Gates Research applicants?

Never give up! If at first you don’t succeed, try again! Keep trying until you succeed, because I am sure you will succeed one day.

What have you learned throughout your research project? 

My involvement in this project has allowed me to merge my technical background in Solidworks and Python with a growing understanding of neuroscience from classes. I have also learned a lot about applying the results and methods of past research to my current work. This project has been an invaluable part of my growth as a person, and I hope to use my experience from this project to shape a future where there are technologies that can help people around the world who struggle with movement and other neurological issues.