Manipulating Arm movement Preparation via a comPuter Interface for Neural decodinG

Movement within our environment of dynamically changing inputs is essential to the routine activities of daily living, response to potential threats and interaction with others. The patterns of neural activity in the motor cortex that contribute to movement planning remain unknown. A recent theory suggests that neural activity in the motor cortex is a dynamical system whose state is optimised via a ‘corrective’ mechanism during planning. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MAPPING project will attempt to provide empirical evidence of this. To do so, MAPPING will use brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) in non-human primates to perturb neural activity during a reaching task and compare outcomes with baseline motor cortical dynamics.