The interests of my lab are in the neuronal processes, pathways, and functional connectivity subserving pain, abnormal movements and plasticity.  For example, our initial studies of direct recordings from the human CNS demonstrated structures in thalamus and cortex receiving direct input from nociceptors.  We then characterized neuronal membrane events processing thermal and pain-related inputs to human thalamic nuclei which project to somatic sensory cortex.  These studies suggest that the human thalamus is a processor of sensory input, not merely a relay of such input to cortex.  These thalamic studies involve by single unit recordings in patients undergoing surgery for movement disorders.  We are now undertaking a number of studies of the impact of lesions on sensory performance.  Studies of patients with cortical lesions demonstrate the presence of a hierarchical network of local networks mediating attention to pain.  Studies of cortical synchrony characterize functional connectivity within this hierarchical network as a rapidly switching, task specific network sub-serving the attention to painful stimuli.   Theses studies involve Local Field Potential recordings directly from the cortex of patients with grids implanted for the treatment of epilepsy. Similar signal analysis techniques are used in studies of movement disorders.