Eric Chudler

chudler@u.washington.edu
Research Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering, and Adjunct Research Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology

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My research interests currently focus on cortical and basal ganglia mechanisms of nociception and pain. Additional interests include how the cortex and basal ganglia process information from multiple sensory modalities (multisensory integration). Using behavioral and neurophysiological techniques, I explore the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia in attempts to understand how the central nervous system is involved with behaviors related to nociception and pain. More specifically, I have conducted electrophysiological studies that have demonstrated that the neostriatum (caudate-putamen; CPu) and globus pallidus (GP) are important sites for processing somatosensory and auditory information. These studies have revealed that the CPu and GP are important for multisensory integration. It is possible that multisensory neurons in these locations are important for facilitating motor responses necessary for behaviors relating to orientation or escape from environmental stimuli.