Hartwig Siebner

How the human brain controls voluntary action

Professor Hartwig Siebner of the Magnetic Research Imaging (MRI) Unit, Hvidovre Hospital, Copenhagen University has received DKK 25 million from the Lundbeck Foundation. The grant will be used to launch a new research project to study how the brain controls voluntary actions during more complex activities such as planning or writing emails. The project is called "Control of Actions" (ContAct), and will run over the next 5 years.
 
According to Hartwig Siebner the project will make it possible to examine how intentional factors play out in the control of actions in the normal brain. The MRI technique will enable the mapping of connecting brain regions during voluntary actions in the normal brain. Subsequently, it will be possible to investigate and understand how these processes are disturbed in diseases such as Parkinson's and stroke.

Hartwig Siebner is also planning to use transcranial magnetic stimulation. Magnetic stimulation is a tool that inhibits or increases activity in selected regions of the brain's surface, the cortex. When the motor cortex is stimulated, a specific movement can be triggered without conscious control. Comparing the brain’s activity during non-volitional movements and during controlled voluntary movements will help us characterize which brain regions are involved during the different circumstances and help to unravel the brain function during motor control.

"I'm really happy for the donation. It makes it possible to build a new research unit with researchers and collaborators both here from Denmark but also from abroad. The donation will also promote brain research considerably and the patients will benefit in the long term", says Hartwig Siebner.

The 5-year research project is conducted in collaboration with other research groups, both internationally and nationally.