Biophysics and Nonlinear Dynamics Underlying Synchronization of Chaotic Neurons

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This goal of this project is to uncover the fundamental aspects of the biophysics associated with synchronization in small groups of neurons. The question will be addressed both in the biological laboratory as well as using numerical and electronic simulations of the neurons seen in the lab. The research will add to the understanding of how biological nervous systems can process information from the environment and pass it on in a coherent way to decision making centers. The work, while in small nervous systems of invertebrates, will directly bear on how more complex systems can organize to produce interesting functional behaviors. During the course of the project, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from Physics and Biology will work side-by-side and will learn about the biological sciences as well as the physical processes underlying the biological activity.