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Name, Field, Position, Department, and Keyword |
 
Faculty associated with: James C. Liao, David McLean, John Olthoff Keywords: Behavioral genetics (7), Cell and Molecular Neuroscience (23), Development (21), Fish (12), Genetics (9), Motor Systems (13), Neuroethology (24), Regeneration (2), spinal cord (1), Systems Neuroscience (25) Our lab studies how movements are produced by the brain and spinal cord of vertebrates. We use zebrafish as a model system because they allow us to combine genetic and optical methods with more conventional physiological approaches to study the neural circuits. In addition to studies of normal function, we examine disruptions of function by genetic mutations, and are developing approaches to cure spinal injuries. |
Faculty associated with: Boris P. Chagnaud, Aaron N. Rice Keywords: Auditory Neuroscience (5), Cell and Molecular Neuroscience (23), Fish (12), Motor Systems (13), Neuroendocrinology (7), Neuroethology (24), Systems Neuroscience (25), Vocal Motor Systems (3) The goal of my research program is to show how phenotypic variation in brain organization leads to adaptive behavioral phenotypes. It is in this context that our laboratory studies sound-producing/ vocalizing fish as model systems to establish how the vocal and auditory systems of vertebrates function to produce adaptive behavioral responses. All of these studies are carried out in the context of a deep understanding of the animal's natural habitat and the use of vocal signals in their social behavior. Given the historical perspective that the most fundamental mechanisms of vertebrate hearing and vocalization originated among fishes, the potential impact of such studies on our general understanding of the evolution, development and adaptive modification of auditory, vocal and audio-vocal mechanisms is far reaching. Research in our laboratory focuses on neuroendocrine influences on sex and seasonal differences in the morphology and physiology of an extensive hindbrain-spinal, pacemaker-motor neuron circuit that establishes the fundamental properties of natural vocalizations and on the temporal and spectral coding of those acoustic signals by the peripheral and central auditory systems. Many of these projects revolve around studies of alternative mating tactics in teleost fish with two male morphs that differ in a large suite of behavioral, neurobiological and endocrine traits including divergent acoustic courtship behaviors and vocal control pathways. We answer questions regarding the existence of behaviors and their underlying mechanisms using an interdisciplinary, neuroethological approach that combines field studies of vocal communication with laboratory studies of the nervous system that utilize one or more of the following approaches: neurophysiology combined with anatomical tract tracing, neuroendocrinology, electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry, and in situ hybridization. Also visit my Research/Photo Gallery entry |
Faculty Keywords: Behavioral Ecology (2), Birds (4), Development (21), Evolution (5), Fish (12), Mathematical Modeling (14), Neuroethology (24), Vision (11) I work in the area of visual ecology dealing with the question, "why do animals have the color vision systems they do?" The obvious evolutionary requirement is that the visual system be adapted for the visual tasks it must perform in the environment in which the animal lives. Research questions are: 1. What are the physiological characteristics of the visual system? I concentrate on the spectral properties of the photoreceptor cells as these represent the input to the visual system; 2. What is the nature of the photic environment? Measurements of the light available for vision and the optical characteristics of visual targets are measured; and 3. What are the visual tasks that the visual systems seems to be adapted for? This usually requires a knowledge of visual behaviours. Thus, my lab works in all three of these research areas bot here at Cornell, and out in the field. |
Post-Doc associated with: Carl D. Hopkins Keywords: Computational Neuroscience (13), Electroreception (3), Fish (12), Mathematical Modeling (14), Neuroethology (24), Systems Neuroscience (25) 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 associated with: Jason R. Gallant, B. Scott Jackson Keywords: Electroreception (3), Fish (12), Neuroethology (24), Systems Neuroscience (25) My lab is interested in the role of sensory processing in the encoding and decoding of animal communication signals. We specialize on the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish from Africa. This system shows many parallels with the auditory system. We are also interested in the evolution of biodiversity among electric fishes of west Central Africa. Also visit my Research/Photo Gallery entry |
Faculty associated with: Bo Pedersen Keywords: Cognitive Neuroscience (17), Computational Neuroscience (13), Language (5), Vision (11) In my lab, we track people's eye movements and the streaming x,y coordinates of their computer-mouse movements as they perform visual and linguistic tasks. Within the theoretical framework of dynamical systems, we design localist attractor networks to simulate our data. Our findings reveal two main properties of human cognition: 1) continuos processing and graded representations in mapping sensory input to motor output, and 2) rapid interaction beteween visual and linguistic processes. Also visit my Research/Photo Gallery entry |
Faculty associated with: Thomas A. Cleland, Ann Marie McNamara Keywords: Computational Neuroscience (13), Learning and Memory (13), Neuromodulation (12), Olfaction (11), Systems Neuroscience (25) I am interested the neurobiology of learning and memory and I use the sense of smell in rats, mice and honeybees as a model system. My lab uses computational, electrophysiological, pharmacological and behavioral tools to ask questions about odor processing, plasticity, neuromodulation and learning and memory. |
Post-Doc associated with: Andrew H. Bass Keywords: Auditory Neuroscience (5), Fish (12), Lateral line system (2), Neuroethology (24), Neurophysiology (5), Sensorimotor Systems (11), Vocal Motor Systems (3) My main research interest are the sensory systems of fish, especially the octavolateral sensory systems. |
Research Associate Keywords: Auditory Neuroscience (5), Neuroethology (24) I am a senior research associate with Prof. Ron Hoy. My primary responsibility is development of multimedia teaching material for neuroscience and related fields. Our first project was a CD-ROM lab manual of neurophysiology (Crawdad, published by Sinauer Associates). I am wrapping up a set of lab exercises for experimental psychology, to be published this year. My current projects are a set of mathematical simulations of game theory models of animal behavior and a piece of software for real-time creation and analysis of sound. Funding for these projects comes from the NSF directorate for undergratuate education and from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor grant to Prof. Hoy. |
Faculty Keywords: Arthropods (1), Computational Neuroscience (13), Evolution (5), Motor Systems (13), Neuroethology (24), Sensorimotor Systems (11), Systems Neuroscience (25), Vision (11) I am currently interested in mechanisms of sensory, expecially visual, guidance used by arthropods to approach prey or mates. I approach such mechanisms at the level of neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, behavior and compputational algorithms. At a larger scale I am also interested in evolution of sensory systems. See my other website for further details. |
Please report corrections, questions, comments, and problems to: Lori Miller (lmm8 AT cornell.edu)