Douglas Altshuler

The goal of the laboratory is to understand the neural mechanisms of complex locomotion. Previous work included biomechanics and muscle physiology. Current research is focused on the visuomotor control of maneuvering. We study avian flight because small birds are highly maneuverable and many of their behaviours can be examined in the laboratory. The neural pathways for transforming visual information into motor output are largely conserved between birds and mammals. Although there is considerable information available about the neural circuitry for sensing and processing visual motion in birds and mammals, there is a major gap in our understanding of how motion perception is used during complex locomotion. Our research aims to unify behavioural studies of visual guidance with electrophysiological and immunohistochemical investigations of neural circuitry to determine the algorithms that vertebrates use for maneuvering.