Funded Awards

Project summary Although single neurons occasionally project to a single downstream target, it is more often the case that their axons collateralize and project to multiple distinct anatomical areas.

Recently, several lines of evidence have supported that synaptic dysfunction represents one of the earliest brain changes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), leading to hyper-excitation in neuronal circuits.

PROJECT SUMMARY To flexibly execute behavior, choices are made based on previous outcomes that will maximize reward. Crucially, learning the value of each action to obtain a reward is thought to drive this decision making process. In a value-based decision making framework, these values are first co

Project Summary This proposal explores an emergent computational framework for understanding the neural population codes that support flexible, context-dependent behavior. The current state of the field is based on two competing views.

PROJECT SUMMARY Intracortical brain-computer interfaces (iBCIs) can restore lost function for people with severe speech and motor impairment (SSMI) due to neurological injury or disease. Despite tremendous recent progress, iBCI performance remains well below that of able-bodied people.

Sensory processing requires the interaction between external inputs and an internal brain state. Pain is a unique sensory experience that is triggered by external signals, but is also strongly shaped by internal cognitive and emotional variables.

Project summary Vision plays a key role in our ability to navigate through the environment, from identifying landmarks and obstacles to determining location and heading.

Serotonergic neuromodulation is a crucial factor in regulating several aspects of brain function, from mood disorders to appetite, reward and motivation, and in maintaining balance of sensory perception. However, the network mechanisms by which it modulates brain dynamics are elusive.

Today, the most widespread tool for measuring whole-brain activity noninvasively is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Humans make rich inferences about the relationships between entities in the world from scarce information. For example, we can find a novel destination after seeing a few street numbers, or find a page in a dictionary by glancing at a few words in other pages.

Numerous neuroscience and clinical applications exist for a noninvasive neuromodulation technology that can reach deep in the brain with high resolution. One compelling clinical application is the treatment of drug addiction, a major public health challenge in the US.

The basal ganglia are a collection of subcortical nuclei studied for their contributions to movement, action selection, habit formation, and reward learning as well as their dysfunction in movement disorders.

Understanding the brain processes underlying alcohol use and misuse are essential for the development of effective treatments for alcohol use disorder or AUD. Human brain imaging has greatly contributed to our current understanding of AUD, but much more remains to be understood.

CRCNS Research Proposal: Collaborative Research: Multimodal Dynamic Causal Learning for Neuroimaging A Project Description A.1 Introduction Many analyses of fMRI and other neuroimaging data aim to discover the underlying causal or commu- nication structures that generated that activity.1,2 An acc

The ability to predict when external events will occur, such as anticipating the actions of a predator or the availability of food, is critical for survival.

Detailed description of the proposed use of the animals, including species, strains, ages, sex, and number to be used; Dissociated, primary cultures will be prepared from the cortex of new born mice of either sex (mus musculus, Postnatal day 0-1).

Fast glutamatergic synaptic transmission is based on a precise and complex molecular organization which requires the control of the number of AMPA-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs) at the postsynaptic sites of glutamatergic synapses on dendritic spines.

A brief glimpse at a face quickly reveals rich multi-dimensional information about the person in front of us. How is this impressive computational feat accomplished? A recently revised neural framework for face processing suggests perception of face form information, i.e.