Prof. Roy Mukamel

I am an associate professor in the School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel-Aviv University. I completed my B.Sc. studies in computer science and biology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During my Ph.D. studies in the lab of Prof. Rafi Malach at the Weizmann Institute of Science, I explored the neural mechanisms underlying visual and auditory perception by using fMRI in healthy subjects and invasive electrophysiological recordings in epileptic patients. I continued to post-doctoral studies at UCLA, working with Prof. Itzhak Fried and Prof. Marco Iacoboni, examining the reciprocal connections between perception and goal-directed movement, providing first direct evidence for the existence of mirror neurons in humans. 

At the base of any goal-directed action or intentional movement lies an underlying expectation of its desired outcome. However, the mapping between actions and desired outcome is not unique. For example, under normal circumstances, one would use the hand to open a door, but given current COVID-19 circumstances, one might instead consider using the elbow, in order to avoid hand contact with the door handle. To optimize behavior, the nervous system of an intelligent organism must constantly learn and update these many-to-many context-dependent mappings between motor commands and expected/desired sensory consequences.

In my lab at Tel-Aviv University, we study the neural mechanisms that underlie these mappings and how they are formed in the process of learning. To this end, we collect behavioral data (such as movement kinematics) and neural data using various non-invasive methods (including EEG, fMRI, and MEG) in healthy participants. Through collaboration with clinical centers, we also examine how our basic findings can be translated to rehabilitation of patients with various pathologies (e.g. stroke, Parkinson's, etc.).

Lab website: https:/socsci3.tau.ac.il/rmukamel/