NONLINEAR DYNAMICS OF NEURONAL ENSEMBLES

PI是一名神经生理学家和儿科神经外科医生，他将成为 第五中心(行为和神经生物学研究)副主任， 负责神经生物学项目，在儿童“S” 研究所。这一RCA将允许PI几乎全职 去做研究。 短期目标是检验这样一种假设，即神经元集合具有 非线性确定性性质。如果是这样的话，他们会有这样的活动 可以通过不稳定的周期轨道来表征和控制，2) 噪声驱动会表现出随机共振，以及3)由于 耦合将表现出广义(非线性)同步和涌现。 长期目标是更好地理解神经元网络 和大脑行为，并开发治疗动力障碍的新方法 疾病。 该研究项目将涉及检测的理论工作 体外脑片和人类癫痫灶中的不稳定轨道。是这样的 轨道信息形成了一种刻画确定性的新方法 复杂系统的性质，而不考虑非平稳，并可用于 控制那些系统。非线性系统也会优化它们的响应 噪声中的微弱信号--随机共振。我们会 通过定义随机共振的统计力学 同时测量单个神经元和神经元群的活动。 由于神经元集合可能表现出非线性广义同步， 我们将通过对偶来量化时空广义同步 作为分离的函数的同时单单元记录 神经网络。不稳定轨道检测和广义同步 将被用来定义神经元中非线性行为的出现 合唱团。 这项研究的结果将从根本上改变神经元 动态可以表征和控制，将提供一种手段来应对 神经元的非平稳性，将进一步解释噪音在 神经系统，并可能提供一种新的方法来控制 癫痫等动力性疾病中的病理神经元群， 痉挛和震颤。

The PI is a Neurophysiologist and Pediatric Neurosurgeon who will be the Associate Director of Center V (Behavioral and Neurobiology Research), with special responsibility for Neurobiology programs, at the Children"s Research Institute. This RCA will permit the PI to devote nearly full time to research. Short term goals are to test the hypothesis that neuronal ensembles have nonlinear deterministic properties. If so, they will 1) have activity that can be characterized and controlled through unstable periodic orbits, 2) hen noise driven will exhibit stochastic resonance, and 3) because of coupling will exhibit generalized (nonlinear) synchrony and emergence. Long-term goals are to achieve a better understanding of neuronal network and brain behavior, and to develop novel methods of treating dynamical diseases. The research project will involve theoretical work on the detection of unstable orbits in In Vitro brain slices and human epileptic foci. Such orbit information forms a novel method of characterizing the deterministic properties of complex systems despite nonstationarity, and can be used to control those systems. Nonlinear systems also optimize their response to weak signals in the presence of noise - stochastic resonance. We will define the statistical mechanics of stochastic resonance through simultaneous measurements of single neuron and neuronal ensemble activity. Since neuronal ensembles may demonstrate nonlinear generalized synchrony, we will quantify spatio-temporal generalized synchrony through dual simultaneous single cell recordings as a function of separation in a neuronal network. Both unstable orbit detection and generalized synchrony will be used to define the emergence of nonlinear behaviors in neuronal ensembles. The results of this research will fundamentally alter the way that neuronal dynamics can be characterized and controlled, will provide a means to deal with neuronal nonstationarity, will further explain the role of noise in the nervous system, and may provide a novel approach for the control of pathological neuronal ensembles in dynamical diseases such as epilepsy, spasticity, and tremor.