An Integrated View on Neural Correlates of Attention and Control

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The objective of this research to study how electrical activities in neuronal circuits give rise to intelligent control behaviors from perception to action. The approach is to first record behavioral and neurophysiological data from a rat while he performs a driving task. Subsequently the experimental data will be analyzed using spatiotemporal coding schemes and phase coherence techniques to unveil the correlation between neural cortical signals and behavior. The PI will perform multichannel chronic recordings from rat?s motor and premotor areas and posterior parietal cortex using a combination of Electrocorticography electrodes and depth electrodes for single unit activities. Intellectual merit. The proposed research is a systematic approach to addressing fundamental issues in relation to the integration of perception and control, neural coding/decoding, and the causal relationship between neural representations and intelligent behaviors. Broad impact. The proposed experiments are challenging and thus, results from these studies can be potentially ground breaking. This study is a part of the PI?s long term goal of pushing toward an understanding of natural and complex behaviors, which is a significant step forward from what are currently available in experimental and computational neuroscience. Fundamental discoveries from this research can provide important insights on nano-circuits designed to replace or provide remedy for deficient neural circuits in patients with perceptual-motor impairment. Graduate, undergraduate, and high school students, many of whom are female, have been and will continue to be involved in the research.