Join us!

We are currently recruiting Postdocs and rotating Graduate Students

Movement is the ultimate goal of the nervous system, and the means by which we interact with our environment. All of our behaviors – simple or complex – are the result of highly coordinated neuronal activity that is translated into precisely ordered muscle activity. The Nelson Lab studies how circuits that connect the brain to the spinal cord enable this enigmatic transformation

Our Research Interests

Spinal Cord

The spinal cord controls almost all body movement. We aim to understand how the activity of diverse spinal neuron subtypes shape motor output commands and sensory feedback.

Sensorimotor Cortex

Sensorimotor cortex shapes motor output and sensory feedback through direct projections to the spinal cord. We are charting the logic of connectivity between cortical outputs and specialized spinal circuits.

Feedback Circuits

Sensory and motor feedback from the spinal cord is essential to behavior. A major focus of the lab is to reveal the circuits that transmit this feedback, and characterize the information encoded in their activity.