Current Positions

• University of Iowa Distinguished Chair, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
• Chair, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences
• Professor, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences

Education

• AB in Physics and Philosophy, Brandeis University
• MA in Biopsychology, University of Chicago
• PhD in Biopsychology, University of Chicago

Graduate Program Affiliations

• Neuroscience

Center, Program, and Institute Affiliations

• Iowa Neuroscience Institute

Research Interests

Every developing animal must learn to function within the context of an ever-changing body. Typically, investigations of sensorimotor development focus on waking movements. We consider another class of behavior: Twitching movements that occur exclusively during active (or REM) sleep. Twitches are particularly abundant in early infancy when critical sensorimotor networks and topographic maps are established. Based on behavioral, electrophysiological, neurophysiological, and computational investigations of this unique behavior, we argue that twitches are critical for the development and maintenance of the sensorimotor system, as well as its repair after injury or disease.