Behavioral Neuroscience Subcortical systems control the hippocampal EEG and its functional significance.
We examine brainstem-diencephalic networks that control the theta rhythm and non-theta states of
the hippocampal EEG and their role in memory processing functions of the hippocampus. Other interests include molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in nerve system trauma, damage, regeneration and development with a current focus on the distribution of astrocytes and microglia in the adult and immature rat brain. In addition, we are interested in the role of the neural regulatory gene, Single Minded 2, in differentiation of normal and cancer cells.
Brain Imaging and Brain Dynamics Noninvasive brain imaging technologies can be combined with models from
dynamical systems theory to understand brain functioning on a macroscopic scale. Mathematical
algorithms are applied to spatiotemporal measurements of electric (EEG), magnetic (MEG) and
metabolic (fMRI) activity such that their combination reflects the ongoing processes inside a
living brain. Current research includes estimating the neural activity at the cortical
surface and derivation of dynamical systems that take the heterogeneous connections between cortical areas into account.
Contacts: Dr. Armin Fuchs, Dr. J.A.S. Kelso, Dr. Steven Bressler
Cognitive Dynamics The concepts of self-organizing dynamical systems provide a window into the organization of cognitive processes at several levels of analysis. Current projects focus on the neural basis of visuomotor processing, the perception and production of speech, cognition in diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, auditory perception, attention, music cognition,
motion detection, motion patten formation and pupillary dynamics.
Contact: Dr. Steven Bressler, Dr. Betty Tuller, Dr. Edward Large, Dr. Howard Hock
Computational Biology Computational and mathematical methods are used to simulate complex processes and analyze experimental data in order to understand the spatiotemporal nonlinear dynamics of networks, bifurcations and synchronizations of networks, the role of information processing in cognition, genetic regulatory networks in health and disease, discovery of drug synergies, and the spread of electronic and biological infections.
Contacts:Dr. Larry Liebovitch, Dr. Viktor Jirsa
Coordination Dynamics The science of coordination aims to understand how the very many
different elements of living things - from genes to cells, to neural ensembles, to brains,
to societies - are functionally coordinated in space and time. Our current research uses
non-invasive imaging methods (EEG, MEG, fMRI, DTI etc) and behavioral measures to investigate
brain areas that underlie human learning, cognition, and the disorders thereof.
Contacts:Dr. J.A.S. Kelso,Dr. Betty Tuller, Dr. Gonzalo de Guzman, Dr. Philip Fink, Dr. Emmanuelle Tognoli
