Could you briefly explain the significance and impact of the research for which you received the award?
The central nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord, plays a critical role in motor recovery after paralysis or spinal cord injury, as well as in the long-term retention of learned motor skills, such as riding a bicycle. However, the underlying neural circuit mechanisms that underlie these phenomena remain largely unclear.
My research aims to uncover how spinal cord circuits contribute to sensorimotor transformation and motor memory formation. By identifying how specific neural pathways reorganize after injury and how they support both recovery and learning, this work provides a new framework for understanding the spinal cord not merely as a relay, but as an active computational center.
These insights have important implications for developing more effective rehabilitation strategies and therapeutic interventions for motor disorders.
How many years did you spend on this research?
Very long time! I have been working on this line of research for over 20 years, beginning during my graduate studies at UCLA. It has been a long journey, and I anticipate continuing to explore these questions for at least another 30 years, if I am lucky.
What was the biggest challenge you encountered during the research?
One of the biggest challenges has been the technical and conceptual difficulty of studying spinal cord physiology in vivo, which has historically been less accessible than the brain. In particular, measuring neural activity in the spinal cord during natural, awake behavior required the development of new experimental approaches.
Another challenge has been shifting the conventional perspective of the spinal cord from a passive pathway to an active site of learning and information processing. This required not only technical innovation but also persistence in pursuing ideas that were not yet widely accepted.
What was the most rewarding moment or aspect of achieving this result?
A particularly rewarding moment was when we directly observed how individual spinal neurons change their activity during motor learning and execution. This provided clear evidence that the spinal cord plays an active role in learning and memory.
Equally meaningful has been working with talented early-career researchers and seeing how collective efforts over many years have gradually led to new insights. Scientific discovery is often incremental, so reaching a point where a coherent picture begins to emerge is especially fulfilling.
What does receiving this award mean to you personally?
I am deeply honored to receive this award. It represents the culmination of many years of work, as well as the support of outstanding mentors and team members I was fortunate enough to work with. More importantly, it strengthens my resolve to continue tackling fundamental questions and to expand the impact of this research moving forward.
How do you hope this research will contribute to the field in the future?
I hope my work will further our understanding of how motor functions are learned, stored, and recovered within the nervous system. Revealing the role of spinal circuits in these processes may open new avenues for designing rehabilitation strategies that more effectively harness the body’s intrinsic capacity for recovery.
In the long term, these findings could help bridge basic neuroscience and clinical applications, ultimately contributing to improved treatments for patients with motor impairments.
What message would you like to share with young researchers or students?
There is rarely a single “right” answer in choosing a career path or even in the questions you pursue in science. What matters is committing to the process and being prepared for the long game.
Stay open to the many opportunities around you, and don’t be afraid of taking bold steps. Taking a leap can lead to opportunities you never expected. In the long run, it is better to take that leap than to wonder what might have been.