CRI: Modeling the Dynamics of Neurophysiological Processes

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PI: Jenson IBN: 9634409 The development of mathematical and numerical models plays a vital role in summarizing, interpreting and disseminating neuroscience data for the form and function of the nervous system. These modeling efforts attempt to describe neurophysiological processes at every level of description from the conformational changes of single ion-channel proteins, to the electrical properties of the dendrites and axons of single neurons, to the data processing of large-scale neural networks. Two key features of these various levels of description are that these processes are dynamic and the interaction within and between levels is nonlinear due to a wide variety of feedback mechanisms. Recent mathematical and numerical methods for analyzing such nonlinear dynamical systems offers great promise for studying the models for these neurophysiological processes- not only to provide new ways to organize and understand experimental data in the neurosciences but most importantly to suggest new ways of looking at complex phenomena and to suggest new experiments. To this end the purpose of this proposal is to develop and strengthen a research collaboration that integrates the new theoretical and numerical tools of nonlinear dynamical systems with state of the art experimental measurments of neurophysiological processes. The proposed collaboration combines the talents and resources of a theoretical physicist with specific expertise in nonlinear dynamics, Prof. R.V. Jensen at Wesleyan University, with an outstanding group of neuroscientists headed by Prof. G.M. Shepherd at Yale University.