Dr. Jason Friedman
We study the general question of how the brain controls movement, with a focus on how we can enhance the process of motor learning, how we develop dexterous finger movements, how we generate movements composed of multiple submovements, and how and why movements differ in motor disorders. We answer these questions by performing experiments on human subjects, usually recording movements or forces produced, then analysing this data to test our hypotheses. Based on our studies, we aim to further our ability to describe how we generate different types of movements, and how these change as a function of age and expertise. We aim to use our understanding of motor control processes in healthy populations and people with motor disorders to enhance rehabilitation using a variety of techniques.
Behavioral Neuroscience
Brain Disorders Research
Cognitive Neuroscience
- Zacks, O., & Friedman, J. (2020). Analogies can speed up the motor learning process. Sci Rep, 10(1), 6932 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-63999-1
- Dempsey-Jones, H., Wesselink, D. B., Friedman, J., & Makin, T. R. (2019). Organized Toe Maps in Extreme Foot Users. Cell Reports, 28(11), 2748–2756.e4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2019.08.027
- Friedman, J., & Korman, M. (2019). Observation of an expert model induces a skilled movement coordination pattern in a single session of intermittent practice. Sci Rep, 9(1), 4609. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-40924-9
- Salzer, Y., & Friedman, J. (2019). Reaching trajectories unravel modality-dependent temporal dynamics of the automatic process in the Simon task: a model-based approach. Psychol Res https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-019-01177-3
- Noy, L., Weiser, N., & Friedman, J. (2017). Synchrony in Joint Action Is Directed by Each Participant's Motor Control System. Front. Psychol., 8, 531 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00531
