Another research project focuses on the behavioral and neural plasticity after damage to the basal ganglia of the developing brain. The literature suggests that the symptoms accompanying brain damage are often influenced by the age at the time of damage. At a basic level, this research is directed towards understanding the neurobiology of sensorimotor integration and the capacity for plasticity in the developing nervous system. At a more applied level, this research seeks to model clinical disorders and to determine novel treatments for Parkinsonism, Schizophrenia, and Hunt-ington's Chorea. Another interdisciplinary research project focuses on the phylogeny and ontogeny of CNS substrates of cognition and adaptive function.
Subject populations range from rats and chimpanzees to normal and developmentally disabled children.