My research focuses on the basal ganglia, a group of subcortical brain nuclei that are critical for voluntary movement and associative learning and are the primary sites of dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction. My objectives are to define the principles underlying the normal and pathological operation of the basal ganglia. My hope is that this information will provide the foundation for the rational development of corrective or neuroprotective therapies.