Medical Student Research Forum Posters

Our early sensory experiences and ability to explore our environment shapes our brain, perceptions and behavior. Active exploration provides kinematic and sensory feedbackwhich drives movement that are distributed in neural networks. Deprivation and unnatural environments effect fine motor precision, manual dexterity, bilateral coordination, balance and motor limb coordination.

On the contrary, naturalistic environments are key for cognitive function, stress regulation, and motor development. This study looks to quantify functional brain organization,motor cortex connectivity, corticospinal tract connectivity and use statistical analysis to correlate/predict neural or behavioralphenotypes that are demonstrated by the environment.