People
Tamar Makin
tamar.makin@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a neuroscientist at MRC CBU at the University of Cambridge, heading the Plasticity Lab. My main interest is in understanding the key drivers and limitations of reorganisation in the adult brain. My primary model for this work is studying individuals with a hand loss. A particular focus is on how habitual behaviour, such as prosthesis usage, shapes brain reorganisation. For this purpose, I integrate methods from the fields of neuroscience, experimental psychology and rehabilitation. I hope my research will enable clinicians to guide amputees and related clinical populations to take advantage of the benefits of brain reorganisation, rather than to suffer from their adverse effects.
Dani Clode
dani.clode@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a designer collaborating with the Plasticity team at the MRC-CBU. My background is in prosthetic arm design and human extension exploration, and I’m interested in forming strong connections between design and neuroscience. My Masters degree project - the Third Thumb, is a 3D printed supernumerary robotic thumb, which is currently the main tool for a fMRI study on how the brain adapts to the usage of devices that augment the capabilities of the human hand.
Raffaele Tucciarelli Raffaele.Tucciarelli@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Plasticity lab. My background is in Cognitive Neuroscience and Computer Science. I am interested in the computation implemented in the brain to create models of our body and how these models are involved in perception, action and cognition. I am leading a project that aims at investigating somatotopy during development in children born without a hand (BOLDkids). I am also interested in neuroimaging techniques and statistics in general.
Hristo Dimitrov Hristo.Dimitrov@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a postdoctoral researcher at MRC CBU at the University of Cambridge. My background is in control of active below-knee prostheses, where I was combining neurophysiology, musculoskeletal mechanics, and machine learning knowledge with skills in programming and engineering towards the achievement of this goal. Currently, I am focusing on understanding phantom limb pain's origins, mechanisms, and relationship with motor control as well as studying motor learning involving prosthetic and assistive devices.
Jonathan Tsay
Jonathan.Tsay@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Plasticity lab. My background is in theoretical mathematics, physical rehabilitation, and cognitive neuroscience. I am broadly interested in understanding how we acquire, adapt to, and retain skilled movements. Currently, I am leading a project that explores how the brain represents the kinematics and semantics of gestures.
Maria Molina Sanchez
Maria.Molina@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a PhD student in Cognitive Neuroscience at the MRC-CBU, with a neurology background. I am interested in how we consciously experiment our bodies. I am interested in how the body schema is modified by the incorporation of wearable technology. I am using the Third Thumb to study cortical reorganisation after the use of this device. I am also interested in how these technological devices can act as assistive technologies in neurological patients.
Lucy Dowdall
Lucy.Dowdall@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a Cognitive Neuroscience PhD student interested in sensorimotor learning and body augmentation. I have a keen interest in the role of somatosensory feedback on our motor control, and how this may then interact with our body representation. My work focuses on the use of body augmentation devices to explore the plasticity of our sensorimotor system. I am currently using the Third Thumb and a battery of neural and behavioural measures to investigate the brain’s ability to construct a sensory model of an augmentation device. Such work then has further applications for prosthetics and brain-machine interfaces.
Maggie Szymanska Maggie.Szymanska@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a first year PhD student at the plasticity lab, with a background in cognitive science and science communication. I am a member of the project BOLDkids (Brain Organisation in Limb Differences - http://boldkids.co.uk) where we investigate unique brain and behavioural strategies that children with limb differences use when tackling everyday motor tasks. I’m also supporting research exploring the neural correlates of phantom limb sensation and pain post amputation, and how new techniques, such as TMR (targeted muscle reinnervation) can help amputees experience less pain.
Ema Jugović
Ema.Jugovic@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a PhD student in Cognitive Neuroscience at the MRC Cognition and Brain
Sciences Unit, Cambridge University. My background is in motor skill learning and
I am interested in the ways the human brain implements control over body
augmentative robotic devices, such as the Third Thumb. During my PhD, I will be
investigating longitudinal changes in motor control of participants operating the Third Thumb using behavioural measures and neuroimaging. Additionally, my research will focus on implementing the Third thumb in the wider population.
Allie Williams Allie.Williams@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a Masters student at MRC CBU at the University of Cambridge. I am a yoga teacher with a background in strategic communication, and I am interested in how the brain learns to engage specific muscles in a targeted way. My project focuses on exploring the specific benefits of yoga as they relate to developing motor control and coordination through understanding how best to use wearable technology to support motor learning and enhance practice benefits.
Laura-Ashleigh Bird
Laura.Bird@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I joined the Plasticity Lab in August 2019 as a Research Assistant working on the BOLDkids project (Brain Organisation in Limb Differences – www.boldkids.co.uk). Children born with a congenital limb difference develop remarkable motor skills, independently completing complex tasks like tying their shoelaces with skill and speed. I am fascinated by the unique strategies children with limb differences use when tackling everyday motor tasks. I want to understand how these unique motor skills develop and how the developing brain supports them.
Clara Gallay Clara.Gallay@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a research assistant at the lab supporting research on the neural basis of motor augmentation using fMRI and behaviour. My past project have included Bayesian sensory integration using Virtual Reality, and investigating visual reinstatement using Electroencephalogram. My areas of interest include neuroplasticity related to the use of a supernumerary finger, methodology in neuroimaging and the impact of sensory feedback on prosthetics integration and use.
Eddie da Silva Eddie.daSilva@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am an Engineer working as a technical assistant at the Lab. I primarily assist on projects relating to sensorimotor augmentation using the Third Thumb and also assist with technical aspects of other ongoing projects such as the BOLDkids project. I am interested in the design and successful implementation of robotic prosthetic and augmentation devices, for my Master’s Thesis I worked on developing a artificial feedback system for a supernumerary robotic finger (The Third Thumb).
Viktorija Pavalkyte Viktorija.Pavalkyte@mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk
I am a Cognitive Neuroscience MSc student from Radboud University, the Netherlands. Since my Bachelor’s in Medical (Neuro)Biology, I have been enthusiastic about the brain and its plasticity. At the Plasticity Lab I aim to understand how application of new technologies in our daily life impacts our brains. My focus is on the changes in brain activity and kinematics after adapted behaviour, e.g. due to intensive Third Thumb use.
