My interests lie within the area of network plasticity as it pertains to neurorehabilitation, particularly in recovery from stroke.  I am trying to apply a two-pronged approach to this difficult problem.  First I am using the novel technique of resting-state functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) to evaluate the overall integrity of distributed brain networks in the acute and chronic phases after stroke.  With this approach I hope to identify specific patterns of functional connectivity that are useful prognostic indicators and that may give us insight into the mechanisms of endogenous recovery.  Second, I plan to investigate whether activity-based therapies or non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation can lead to improved clinical outcomes by modulating resting state functional connectivity.