Research Assistant Professor of Psychology
Qi's major research interests are in the anatomical and functional organization of the somatosensory system in primates. Qi is particularly interested in (1) Comparative study of cytoarchitecture, enzyme reactivity and immunohistochemistry of subdivisions of somatosensory cortex and subcortical structure in humans, chimpanzees, and monkeys. (2) Reorganization of somatosensory system after peripheral and central nerve system lesions. (3) Characterizing the response properties of cortical neurons to tactile stimulation on the hand using acute or chronic recording techniques with arrays of multi-wire microelectrodes. The goal of this research is to understand how these neurons code stimulus events, how these populations of neurons respond to sensory loss, and how they mediate recovers from injury such as stroke, peripheral never or spinal cord injuries.