Presents the KECK/HAMPB Friday Teleconference from Rice University

Computing with Neural Oscillators

Dr. Hualou Liang,

The University of Texas Health Science Center

4:00 pm Friday

4^th February 2005

(Refreshments at 3:45)

5.521 Levin Hall

ABSTRACT:

Oscillatory activities are ubiquitous in the nervous system, taking place in many parts of the brain across many species and often a network phenomenon involving the participation of diverse cell ensembles and brain areas. Understanding their functions and mechanisms of generation is an important problem in contemporary neuroscience. Our laboratory is particularly interested in understanding the general computational principles underlying the dynamic interactions among large numbers of widely distributed neuronal assemblies that mediate visual perception. To pursue this goal, we have been developing a comprehensive approach to the statistical quantification of multi-neuron activity on a fast time scale. Heretofore, this approach has been fruitfully used to characterize, with high spatial, temporal, and frequency resolution, functional relations within large multi-channel neural recordings.

In this talk I will examine neural oscillations from a network point of view and discuss proper methods of data analysis. Our emphasis will be placed on a class of measures that yield directional information in neural interactions. Data from monkeys performing visuomotor pattern discrimination tasks and visual spatial attention task will be used to demonstrate the approach.

For further information see: http://www.sahs.uth.tmc.edu/hliang/

KECK/HAMP Friday Seminars: http://cohesion.rice.edu/centersandinst/gcc/keck_events.cfm

Archived Friday Seminar Webcasts Available: http://cohesion.rice.edu/centersandinst/gcc/