David Herzfeld MS, PhD

Dr. David Herzfeld, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Science of Learning Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. David's primary interest is motor control and motor learning. This includes determining how healthy human subjects learn and re-learn motor perturbations, as well as how humans with neurological disorders accomplish the same tasks. Dr. Herzfeld uses behavioral tasks, such as moving a robotic handle and brain stimulation, to determine the neural substrates that are involved in the learning process.

David's recent work focuses on understanding how the neurons of the cerebellum, a region of the brain crucial for motor control, control voluntary eye movements. The cerebellum is also required to correct movement errors, a process termed adaptation. David's long-term goal is to understand how the neurons in the cerebellum accomplish this feat. Understanding this adaptation process is critical for informing rehabilitation strategies for individuals with neurological damage or disease.