Neuromechanics and Dynamics of Locomotion

Professor Avis Cohen (Biology/ISR) is a co-PI on a five-year, $500K National Science Foundation (NSF) grant award from the Research Coordination Networks Physical/Life Sciences (RCN-PLS) program, "Neuromechanics and Dynamics of Locomotion." Lisa Fauci of Tulane University is the principal investigator. Locomotion is a prime example of how the nervous system creates a complete behavior. Relationships among neuronal and motoneuronal activities, and the resulting dynamic muscle forces need to be deduced, then how muscle forces combine with the mechanics of the organism in its environment is described. Finally, the integration of sensory feedback into movement control must be described.