Regional specificity in the hand area of the primary motor cortex for healthy individuals and individuals with focal hand dystonia A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY

i Acknowledgements I owe a great deal of thanks and gratitude to many people without whom I would not have been able to finish this dissertation. My deepest gratitude is to my two advisors. Dr. Jürgen Konczak has been my mentor and guide through eight long years of training and education. He has brought me a long way toward learning how to be a scientist. Dr. Teresa Kimberly has taken me from a fledgling scientist and convinced me that there is quite literally no limit to the things that I can accomplish. She has allowed me the freedom to explore on my own but has always been close by watching over me. Allowing me to lead when possible but always willing to guide when necessary. As I go forward toward the next phase of this great adventure, she will serve as a model of how to be a great researcher but more importantly a big, bright shining light to all of the lives I will touch. I am a different person than the one who arrived here in 2002 and I owe so much of that to these two individuals. To Mom, Dad, Abbie, Ethan and McKenzie, it has been a long trek and I know I have missed out on some important moments in order to do this crazy thing, but I hope you know that not a day went by that I did not think of you and how much I love you. I cannot put into words what it has meant to know that you are always there, supporting me, thinking of me and loving me. Additionally, my extended family, Grandma Eileen, Uncle Greg, Aunt Loraine and Grandpa Havlik, have provided so much support and love through the years. I am forever in debt to all of you. I love you all very much. Jeff Withers saw me though many long nights and early mornings and worked to help me accomplish all that I have. No matter what happens, you will always hold a special place in my heart. To my friend and colleague, Heidi Vander Velden, who has quite literally stood by my side through many long hours and has been willing to ebb and flow with me through this entire journey. Megan Luce, our paths seem to be inexorably intertwined and each day I become more appreciative of that fact. As the world continues to …