Noise, Waves and Synchrony

神经系统中正在进行的活动以及它如何影响感觉和其他输入是最近许多实验活动的主题。特别是，很明显，在没有输入的情况下，神经元电路之间的内在相互作用可以对系统如何对传入的刺激做出反应产生强烈的影响，即使在大规模认知水平上也是如此。因此，非线性动力学方法将被应用于理论神经科学中处理这一问题的问题。具体地说，该研究小组将研究自发波和诱发波在神经元网络中的传播，以及这些系统中同步的条件。脉动型和冻结型噪声输入对神经元振荡网络的影响也将被研究。一个特别令人感兴趣的问题是，输入相关性如何与内在活动相互作用，以塑造输出相关性。最后，该小组将研究不同的离子电流和调节器如何塑造神经元同步其行为的能力，以及它们如何对外部输入做出反应。人类如何感知世界既受他们不断受到轰炸的感觉输入的支配，也受他们以前的经验的支配。这种体验，以及神经系统的自然连接，塑造了我们大脑的自发行为，这种自发活动强烈地调节了感觉输入。在这个项目中，神经元的计算和数学模型被用来理解哪些类型的自发行为是可能的，这如何依赖于连接，以及这种活动如何与感觉输入相互作用。例如，如果由于共同的输入及其内在的相互作用，许多神经元同时发出信号，这可能为感觉刺激的重要性提供一个强烈的信号。这些研究可以帮助指导实验，与模型和理论一起导致更好地理解正常的大脑功能。

Ongoing activity in the nervous system and how it impacts sensory and other inputs is the subject of much recent experimental activity. In particular, it is clear that the intrinsic interactions between neuronal circuits in absence of inputs can have a strong impact on how the system responds to incoming stimuli even at the large scale cognitive level. Thus, nonlinear dynamics methods will be applied to problems in theoretical neuroscience dealing with this question. Specifically, the research group will study the propagation of spontaneous and evoked waves in neuronal networks as well as the conditions for synchronization in these systems. The effects of both pulsatile and frozen noise inputs on oscillatory networks of neurons will also be studied. A particular question of interest is how input correlations interact with intrinsic activity to shape the output correlations. Finally, the group will study how different ionic currents and modulators shape the ability of neurons to synchronize their behavior and how they respond to external inputs.How humans perceive the world is governed both by the sensory inputs with which they are constantly bombarded and by their previous experience. This experience, as well as the natural wiring of the nervous system, shapes the spontaneous behavior of our brains and this spontaneous activity strongly modulates the sensory inputs. In this project, computational and mathematical models of neurons are used to understand what kinds of spontaneous behavior are possible, how this depends on the wiring and how this activity interacts with sensory inputs. For example, if many neurons fire together synchronously as a consequence of both common inputs and their intrinsic interactions, this could provide a strong signal for the importance of the sensory stimulus. These studies can help guide experiments which together with models and theory lead to a better understanding of normal brain function.