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 Systems Neuroscience
Networks and systems determine the manner in which information is encoded and processed in the brain. The study of these systems forms another specific area of strength here at Penn. Work in hippocampal slice and culture are providing new insight into mechanisms of synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity, and epilepsy. Voltage sensitive dyes and innovative electrophysiological approaches are permitting the acquisition of data from very large numbers of neurons simultaneously, in some cases, in awake, behaving animals. Many of these studies are coupled with the creation of realistic neuronal simulations as an aid to the interpretation of experimental data.
A special area of expertise in systems neuroscience concerns the organization of the visual system. A large number of investigators deal with questions ranging from the interaction of single photons of light with individual rhodopsin molecules to the generation of cellular signals in rods and cones, the local processing of such signals in retinal networks, and the central processing of these signals at numerous loci within the brain. These studies extend directly to human vision in functional imaging of visual cortex and higher cortices including those of the frontal lobes and in human psychophysical experiments and studies of cognitive function in normal and brain damaged individuals. This group represents a strong multidisciplinary approach to a specific problem. It is supported by both a center grant and a training grant and offers its own seminars and other support groups.
Labs at Penn that have systems neuroscience projects:
Ted Abel, PhD Genetic approaches to study the molecular basis of synaptic plasticity, learning and memory
Rexford S. Ahima, MD, PhD Neural circuits for feeding and body weight regulation; interrelationship between central energy homeostatic mechanisms and hormones; neural basis of metabolic phenotypes
Benjamin T. Backus, PhD Psychophysics;
computational modeling; evoked potentials, fMRI
Tracy L. Bale, PhD Examine the effects of stress sensitivity on the development and treatment of depression. Determine the molecular mechanisms by which stress factors influence appetite and metabolism. Examine the effects of maternal stress-sensitivity on fetal development and long-term physiological and behavioral responses.
Sheryl G. Beck, PhD Neurocircuitry underlying stress and stress related pathology such as depression and anxiety; whole cell electrophysiology with anatomy, behavior and molecular analysis, serotonin neurotransmitter system; stress and sex hormones.
David H Brainard, PhD Visual perception and its neural mechanisms; digital image processing.
Edward S. Brodkin, MD Neurobiology of social behaviors, including aggressive and affiliative behaviors, studied using genetic analysis in mouse model systems. Neurobiology and genetics of autism spectrum disorders
Akiva Cohen, PhD Injury-induced altered brain excitability, circuit rearrangement and synaptic function
Diego Contreras, MD/PhD Representation of information in cortical and thalamocortical networks.
Douglas A. Coulter, PhD Epilepsy, neuronal excitability, CNS rhythm generation, GABA receptors, development of neurotransmitter receptors and ion channels, synaptic function
Richard O. Davies, DVM/PhD Neural control of respiration; upper airway function; sleep apnea; motor control
Richard L. Doty, PhD Olfaction; neuro-psychopharmacology; dementia-related diseases; chemosensory psychophysics
Martha J. Farah, PhD Neural bases of vision and visual cognition in humans
Nabil H. Farhat, PhD The focus of my research is in Corticonics where I am applying concepts and tools from nonlinear dynamics, bifurcation theory, self-organized criticality, complexity, and chaos to the modeling and study of the cortex. In corticonics (echoing electronics) I am concerned with developing a dynamical approach to understanding the cortex and its collective codes for information processing
Lori Flanagan-Cato, PhD Steroid-induced plasticity of neural circuits to control reproductive and ingestive behavior
Marco Frank, PhD The
function of sleep in developing and adult animals.
Michael Freed, PhD
Alan Gelperin, PhD Synaptic plasticity and learning. Olfactory information processing in the CNS. Electronic olfaction. Computational neuroscience.
George L. Gerstein, PhD Representationof information in auditory and visual systems, particularly with reference to function of assemblies of neurons; models of neuronal networks
Joshua Gold, PhD How the brain forms decisions about sensory stimuli: What are the underlying neural computations? Where are the circuits that perform these computations? How are these circuits shaped by experience?
Michael Anne Gratton, PhD
Ruben C. Gur, PhD Human neuropsychology, emotion and cognitive processes, integration of neurobehavioral data with neuroanatomic and neurophysiologic data on regional brain function in healthy, neurologic and psychiatric populations; understanding sex differences in health and disease from a neurodevelopmental perspective
Charles C. Horn, PhD Feeding behavior; Nausea and vomiting; Drug side effects; Obesity; Diabetes; Nutrition; Taste; Peripheral nervous system; Systems neuroscience
Michael J. Kahana, PhD Human memory and its neural mechanisms; Brain Oscillations
Max B. Kelz, MD, PhD Genetic approaches to study the molecular and cellular basis of anesthetic induced loss of consciousness
Igor L. Kratskin, MD/PhD Neurobiology of olfaction; centrifugal innervation of the olfactory bulb; function of taurine in olfactory structures; olfactory bulb in health and disease
Leszek K. Kubin, PhD
Respiratory, sleep and metabolic disorders associated with the obstructive
sleep apnea syndrome
Alan M. Laties, MD Ocular anatomy and physiology; myopia
Irwin Lucki, PhD (1) Behavioral pharmacology; (2) Mechanism of action of antidepressant and antianxiety medications; (3) Stress neurobiology and psychiatric disorders
Minghong Ma, PhD Cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the sense of smell
Scott Manaker, MD/PhD Neural control of respiration, central integration of autonomic functions; brainstem neuroanatomy and neuropharmacology
Richard R. Miselis VMD/PhD Neuroanatomy; visceral neuraxis; ingestive behaviors; homeostasis
Adrian R. Morrison DVM/PhD
Neural control of sleep and wakefulness
Richard Murray, PhD Visual
psychophysics, spatial vision, perceptual organization, visual attention;
natural image statistics in relation to shape from shading and perceptual
organization; signal detection theory, ideal decision theory, multiple
spatial frequency channel theory
Jacob Nachmias, PhD All aspects of visual perception, particularly spatial and temporal interactions
Michael Nusbaum, PhD Neural network modulation; motor pattern selection from multifunctional networks; local, presynaptic influences; neuropeptide function
Ana Lia Obaid, PhD Optical measurements of electrical activity; excitation-secretion coupling; simple nervous systems in vitro; enteric nervous system
Larry A. Palmer, PhD Thalamocortical and intracortical circuitry in primary visual cortex; plasticity of visual receptive fields in adults
Virginia M. Richards, PhD
Auditory perception; decision processes
Alan C. Rosenquist, PhD Anatomy and physiology of the visual system
Brian Salzberg, PhD Optical probes of membrane potential
James C. Saunders, PhD Psychobiology and neurobiology of hearing
Steve Scherer, MD/PhD Axon-Schwann cell interactions in developing and regenerating peripheral nerve
Marc Schmidt, PhD Encoding
of complex motor behaviors; auditory/motor integration; neural basis
of vocal learning
Peter Sterling, PhD Microcircuitry of the visual system
Richard A. Stone, MD Ocular pharmacology and innervation; neural regulation of eye growth and refractive error
John H. Teeter, PhD Chemosensory transduction; synaptic organization of taste buds; pheromone communication; orientation to chemosensory cues
Steven A. Thomas, MD/PhD The roles of neurotransmission in development, neurophysiology and ultimately behavior
Rita J. Valentino, Ph.D. Department of Pediatrics: Neurobiology of stress and mechanisms of stress-related psychiatric disorders; central control of visceral functions
Noga Vardi, PhD Retinal processing - how anatomical and chemical circuit architecture code and transfer information
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