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Name, Field, Position, Department, and Keyword |
 
Faculty Keywords: Cell and Molecular Neuroscience (24), Ion channel (6), Neuromodulation (12), Neurotransmitter receptors and transporters (9), Proteins (4) My general research interest is in the modulation of receptor properties by neurotransmitters and drugs. Currently we are studying the mechanisms of modulation of the nicotinic cholinergic receptor by its neurotransmitter acetylcholine and by the neuropeptide substance P. Nicotinic receptor responsiveness is regulated by acetylcholine and other cholinergic agonists via desensitization. In fact there are several desensitization processes each of which occurs on a different time scale, ranging from milliseconds to several minutes. Nicotinic receptor responsiveness also appears to be regulated physiologically by substance P, an eleven amino acid peptide that inhibits nicotinic receptor activation. One reason we have focused on both of these modulatory mechanisms is that they appear to be interrelated since at least part of the inhibition by substance P seems to be mediated by an increase in the rate and extent of desensitization. For more information, follow the web link above. |
Research Associate Keywords: Artificial Intelligence (4), Auditory Neuroscience (5), Cognitive Neuroscience (17), Computational Neuroscience (14), Language (5), Neuroethology (25), Sensorimotor Systems (12), Systems Neuroscience (26) I am interested in elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying behaviorally-relevant computations. Put simply, the brain is a big computer and I want to reverse engineer it. I focus on two behaviors mediated by the auditory system in particular: sound localization and, to a lesser extent, speech recognition. Collectively, determining what the sound is and where it's coming from are the two main tasks the auditory system of any species must solve. My study species of choice are Ormia ochracea and barn owls. The former are flies which parasitize crickets by using them as hosts for larvae; the latter are nocturnal predators which rely on field mice for food. In both cases, a highly-developed and specialized auditory system is used to both recognize and localize their targets. What drew me to studying neuroscience, instead of continuing my undergraduate education in computer science and psychology, was a disappointment with the design and performance of the algorithms used by the artificial intelligence community. My hope is to facilitate better progress towards the creation of an intelligent machine through delineating how nervous systems solve similar computational problems. |
Graduate Student associated with: Elizabeth Adkins-Regan Keywords: Birds (4), Cell and Molecular Neuroscience (24), Finch (4), Immediate early genes (5), Neuroendocrinology (8), Neuroethology (25), Neurogenesis (7), Social behavior (12), Steroid hormones (3), Stress (8) My interests lie in understanding the neurobiology of affiliative behaviors such as pair bonding and parental care using the socially monogamous and biparental zebra finch as a model system. |
Post-Doc associated with: Carl D. Hopkins Keywords: Computational Neuroscience (14), Electroreception (3), Fish (13), Mathematical Modeling (15), Neuroethology (25), Systems Neuroscience (26) My research interests primarily deal with general principles of neural coding and processing in spiking neurons of sensory systems, in particular issues related to the potential for "temporal", as opposed to "rate", coding and processing schemes. Secondarily, I am interested in the statistical structure of neural spike trains, and deterministic explanations for this structure. I am currently studying the neural pathway that processes electrical communication signals in weakly electric fish from Africa, which must detect differences in the waveforms of very short (< 1 ms) electrical pulses. I hope that the general strategies used by this relatively simple and specialized neural system will prove useful in suggesting and guiding research on other more complex sensory systems, such as the mammalian auditory system. |
Faculty Keywords: Behavioral genetics (7), Cell and Molecular Neuroscience (24), Development (22), Drosophila (4), Genetics (10), Neuroendocrinology (8), Neuroethology (25), Neuromodulation (12), Systems Neuroscience (26) I am interested in the neural and genetic control of behavior. The main project in the lab is understanding the mechanisms that controls ecdysis, the behavior that allows insects to shed their old cuticle. Insect growth occurs through multiple stages. At the end of each stage the animal molts and produces a new cuticle for the next stage. The molt culminates with ecdysis, the shedding of the old cuticle. The occurrence of ecdysis is tightly regulated, both by development, as well as by the biological clock (at adult emergence). Both its timing as well as its execution is controlled by a number of interacting neuropeptide hormones. Thus, ecdysis behavior is a good model system for understanding how behavior is coordinated with development, how neuropeptides and neurohormones regulate behavior, and how the circadian (biological) clock causes behaviors to be express a circadian rhythmicity. Most of our work is carried out using Drosophila, taking advantage of the genetic and molecular tools available in this organism to identify components involved in the control of ecdysis behavior, and determine their role in vivo. We also use other insect species to examine how the control of this behavior has changed during insect evolution. Also visit my Research/Photo Gallery entry |
Graduate Student associated with: Stephane A. Beaudin, Barbara J. Strupp Keywords: Developmental Neurotoxicology (2), Neurotransmitter receptors and transporters (9) I am currently examining the long-lasting cognitive effects of prenatal cocaine exposure. I am specifically interested in how drug-induced neurochemical changes result in altered attentional set-shifting abilities. I hope to use a combination of neurological analyses and behavioral testing to develop possible therapeautic agents. |
Faculty Keywords: Aging (7), Cognitive Neuroscience (17), Development (22), Emotion (4), Imaging (8), Individual Differences (Human) (6), Social behavior (12) Joseph Mikels’ research program lies at the intersection of cognitive and affective neuroscience. His primary interests include topics related to emotion, attention, and decision making, with particular consideration of the development trajectory of these processes across the life span. By incorporating the perspective of functional magnetic resonance imaging, ongoing projects in Mikels’ Emotion and Cognition Laboratory are exploring the neural substrates of observed behavioral differences between younger and older adults. For example, what brain structures underlie the preference for positively valenced emotional material among older adults? Do younger and older adults recruit different brain regions in making decisions? Answers to these questions have the potential to explain the strategic means by which individuals may successfully compensate for the decline in cognitive function during later life. |
Graduate Student associated with: Carl D. Hopkins Keywords: Axon guidance (3), Behavioral genetics (7), Development (22), Electroreception (3), Fish (13), Genetics (10), Ion channel (6), Neuroethology (25), Neurogenesis (7), Neuromodulation (12), Social behavior (12), Systems Neuroscience (26) I am intersted in the evolutionary development of novel structures used in communication systems, both on the processing and on the production side. |
Faculty associated with: Mark V. Albert, Sherry X. Xian Keywords: Computational Neuroscience (14), Systems Neuroscience (26), Vision (12) What is the goal of sensory coding? What are the statistical regularities in natural scenes, and how do they relate to the response properties of cortical cells? We investigate these and other questions from a combination of psychophysical and computational approaches |
Faculty Keywords: Cell and Molecular Neuroscience (24), Hippocampus (11), Neurotransmitter receptors and transporters (9), Neurotransmitter release (3) The main focus of my laboratory is on the mechanisms of exocytosis, neurotransmitter release and synaptic transmission. The multidisciplinary lab employs a broad battery of tools to investigate these topics including moloecular biology, patch clamp electrophysiology, capacitance, amperometry, electrochemical imaging using nanofabricated electrode arrays, microcip devices, total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, and optical tweezers. |
Please report corrections, questions, comments, and problems to: Mark V. Albert (mva6 AT cornell.edu)