Principal Investigator
Recent Research Projects
Visually guided behaviors require processing, remembering, interpreting, and linking visual information to the appropriate motor action. Thus, the successful execution of visual tasks are likely to depend on the activity of neurons processing visual information as well as on the neurons capable of integrating this information with the demands of behavioral task. In our lab we are studying cortical circuitry underlying the ability to discriminate and remember visual motion. Current projects in the lab are aimed at identifying and characterizing the components of this circuitry by recording from neurons in motion processing area MT and from neurons in prefrontal and parietal cortical areas likely to play an executive and integrative functions leading to perceptual decisions. Here we show some more results of these studies.
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Flexible Representation of Behaviorally Relevant Stimuli in the Prefrontal Cortex
This project is focused on characterizing the way neurons in prefrontal cortex represent visual motion used in tasks requiring discriminating and remembering this information. We are recording from the region in prefrontal cortex that is reciprocally interconnected with neurons in motion processing area MT while the monkeys discriminate and remember direction of visual motion. More info...
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Memory-Related Signals In the Prefrontal Cortex and in area MT
In this project we are examining whether PFC neurons carry information about the remembered sample during the memory delay. Our results show that individual neurons do carry consistent stimulus-related signals throughout the delay. Rather this information appears at different times in different neurons suggesting the distributed nature of these signals. Putative pyramidal neurons were more active during the delay and are more likely to carry stimulus related signals. More info...
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Trial-To-Trial Variability of the PFC Neurons Reveals the Nature of Their Engagement in a Memory for Motion Task
During motion discrimination tasks many PFC neurons are strongly modulated by the behavioral context, suggesting their involvement in sensory discriminations. Recent studies suggest that trial-to-trial variability of spiking activity characteristic of cortical neurons could be a source of information about the state of neurons and their participation in behavioral tasks. More info...
