Timothy C. Cope

My research interests center on motor control and sensorimotor integration in the mammalian spinal cord. Using predominantly electrophysiological methods we study spinal motoneurons, muscle stretch afferents, and their center synapses. We are actively examining how these neurons and synapses respond soon and long after peripheral nerve injury and after manipulations in the functional relations between nerve and muscle. These studies are yielding insight into factors that influence the function and dysfunction of sensorimotor circuits in adult animals. In addition we are studying activity patterns among populations of motoneurons recruited during movement in order to infer strategies and mechanisms used by the central nervous system to control movement. Ongoing collaborative efforts involve studies in motoneuron disease, activity dependence of synaptic function, and neurotransmitter receptor expression.