Deborah A. Barany

Biography

Dr. Barany received her bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and mathematics from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. She received her master’s degree in Psychology and Ph.D. in Dynamical Neuroscience at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and completed postdoctoral fellowships focusing on stroke neurorehabilitation and sensorimotor neuroscience at Emory University and the University of Georgia. At UGA, Dr. Barany directs the Brain and Action Laboratory and co-directs the Neurostimulation Laboratory. She also teaches in the pre-clinical curriculum at the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership on the UGA Health Sciences Campus.

Areas of Expertise

  • Motor Control
  • Functional neuroimaging
  • Non-invasive brain stimulation
  • Neurorehabilitation

Interests

  • Goal-directed movement
  • Sensorimotor decision-making
  • Eye-hand coordination
  • Translational neuroscience

Concentrations

Education

  •  B.A. in Neuroscience; Mathematics, 2011
    Hamilton College
  •  M.A. in Psychology, 2013
    University of California, Santa Barbara
  •  Ph.D. in Dynamical Neuroscience, 2016
    University of California, Santa Barbara
  •  Postdoc in Neurology, 2018
    Emory University
  •  Postdoc in Kinesiology, 2020
    University of Georgia
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Contact

 Ramsey Center, 115H

Research Summary

Dr. Deborah Barany’s research focuses on the neural mechanisms underlying goal-directed movement, using a combination of behavioral (movement kinematics, augmented reality, eye-tracking), neuroimaging (functional MRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and neurostimulation (transcranial magnetic stimulation) methods. Her current research examines (1) how movements are planned and updated while in motion, and (2) how new perceptual and decision-related information is integrated into online movement plans. The long-term goal of this research is to establish a basic human motor neuroscience framework to investigate impairments in goal-directed movements prevalent after brain injury or in neurodegenerative diseases.

Awards and Accolades

Graduate Research Fellowship

National Science Foundation, 2011

Affiliates Graduate Dissertation Fellowship

University of California, Santa Barbara, 2015

Postdoctoral Training Grant

National Institutes of Health (Emory University), 2016

Georgia StrokeNet Fellowship

National Institutes of Health (Emory University), 2017

Postdoctoral Fellowship

American Heart Association, 2018