Fernando Gomez

Research Description

I work in Dr. Leah Krubitzer's laboratory of Evolutionary Neurobiology, where I'm investigating how rats raised in dramatically different developmental contexts differ in their cortical and behavioral development, targeting the motor system. Animal models used to investigate the development and plasticity of the motor system have been critical for understanding how sensorimotor experiences can influence the overall functionality and connectivity of the cortical, subcortical, and spinal cord regions involved in planning and producing precise motor behavior. However, a major caveat of current studies is that they have predominantly been conducted in standard laboratory conditions, where animals are raised in a highly deprived environment that is highly controlled (e.g. temperature/humidity, light cycles, food) with limited motor and social opportunities (affordances). My work thus aims to expand on the literature by investigating how large outdoor pens, with a real-world climate and numerous motor affordances, can impact the cortical connectivity and organization of brain areas associated with motor control and how this may be reflected behaviorally at critical developmental time points from birth to adulthood. Using intracortical microstimulation, neuroanatomical tract-tracing, and a set of behavioral assessments, my work aims to elucidate the influence that environmental context has on the cortical, subcortical, and spinal cord ontogeny that are necessary for motor behavior.