Brain and Action Lab

Introduction

Welcome to the Brain and Action Laboratory at the University of Georgia! Our lab seeks to understand the behavioral and neural mechanisms of goal-directed movement. We combine behavioral, neuroimaging, and neurostimulation methods to investigate how brain flexibly transforms goals into motor-specific representations to guide action. The long-term goal of this research is to establish a mechanistic framework rooted in basic human motor neuroscience to investigate impairments in goal-directed movements prevalent in neurological disease or after brain injury.

Our laboratory is affiliated with:

Current Projects

The Neural Control of Manual InterceptionIntercepting a moving object at the right time and place requires continuously integrating visual and motor information. In this project, we measure movement kinematics, functional MRI activity, and transcranial magnetic stimulation-elicited motor-evoked potentials to investigate how the brain organizes visual and motor information to successfully coordinate interceptive actions.

Visuomotor Control After ConcussionPeople who sustain a concussion often have subtle yet persistent deficits in how the brain uses visual information to guide movement. This collaborative project, with the UGA Concussion Research Lab and the Shepherd Center Complex Concussion Clinic , develops new ways to measure differences in brain activity during complex actions and examines how these changes relate to visuomotor function and recovery.

Action Observation and Learning in STEMWatching others is a powerful way to learn, especially in STEM fields that involve complex, dynamic material. This collaborative project with Dr. Logan Fiorella explores the neural processes through which observing others’ actions supports learning, with the goal of informing more effective teaching strategies.

Equipment

Located in the Ramsey Student Center, the Brain and Action Laboratory (and affiliated Neurostimulation Laboratory) includes the following equipment:

KINARM End-Point Lab with integrated remote gaze tracking
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (DuoMAG MP-Dual and DuoMAG XT) with neuronavigation (Brainsight)
Electromyography (16-channel wireless Delsys Trigno)
Eye-tracking (Eyelink 1000 Plus and Pupil Neon Glasses)
Drawing and touchscreen tablets
Electroencephalography (BrainVision actiCHamp 32-channel system)

The lab also uses the GE Discovery MR750 3T MRI at the UGA Bio-Imaging Research Center and has access to equipment in nearby Kinesiology labs, including the:

Meet the Team

Deborah Barany, PhD

Assistant Professor and Lab Director

Haleh Mahmoudi, B.S.

Ph.D. Candidate, Kinesiology

Jakob Deitrich, B.S.

Ph.D. Student, Neuroscience

Rakshitha Goda

UGA Undergraduate, Biomedical Physiology

Grace Jiang

UGA Undergraduate, Exercise and Sports Science

Shivani Senthil Kumar

UGA Undergraduate, Management of Information Systems

Luke Whitehead

UGA Undergraduate, Exercise and Sports Science

Madeline Wicker

UGA Undergraduate, Psychology and Neuroscience

Research Opportunities

Join our research team

We are always looking for interested undergraduate and graduate students to join our research team!

Undergraduate students

Students in the lab will have the opportunity be part of an interdisciplinary, collaborative environment and tackle problems from a translational neuroscience perspective. We accept students from a variety of majors, including exercise and sport science, biology, psychology, computer science, and engineering. Members of our lab also have the opportunity to conduct CURO research .

If you are interested, please send a brief email stating your name, intended major, and research interests.

Email us

Graduate students

Before applying for a PhD position in our lab , please email us to discuss your interests and availability.

Additionally, if you are interested in joining the lab as a graduate student in neuroscience , please contact us before you apply for a doctoral position through the integrative life sciences program at the University of Georgia.

Email us

Ongoing Studies

We are actively recruiting individuals between 18-50 years of age to participate in our research studies.

Current Study Opportunities

You may also contact the principal investigator Deborah Barany .

Image Gallery

Contact Info

Lab director: Deborah Barany