PhD defence: Neural mechanisms underlying human motor control and skill learning

Patrick Wiegel

PhD thesis

One of the most intriguing features of the nervous system is motor output. Movements are controlled by numerous, interconnected nerve cells that are distributed across the nervous system.

During the past several decades, substantial technological and methodological advances in the neurosciences have allowed to investigate how the nervous system controls motor output. However, knowledge on the neural mechanisms underlying control and learning of movements in humans is still limited.

This PhD thesis aims to add scientific evidence on the neural mechanisms underlying human motor control and skill learning. For this purpose, the studies of this PhD project applied non-invasive electrophysiological techniques such as brain stimulation and electroencephalography while human participants performed a variety of motor tasks.

The studies of this thesis focused on the i) neural circuits of the motor cortex engaged in the performance of discrete and rhythmic movements, ii) the neural circuits of the motor cortex involved in learning a spatiotemporal motor skill and iii) the neural mechanisms underlying reinforcement-based motor learning.

2021, 164 pages.

Date

12 October 2021, 14:00

Place

Auditorium 1, August Krogh Building, Universitetsparken 13, DK-2100 Copenhagen and online.

Opponents

Associate Professor Anke Ninija Karabanov (chair), Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Professor Richard Carson, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.

Professor Wolfgang Taube, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

Supervisor

Associate professor Jesper Lundbye-Jensen, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Co supervisor

Dr. Christian Leukel, Department of Sport Science & Bernstein Center Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Germany.