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Ian C. Fiebelkorn, Ph.D.

Contact Information

Research Labs

Faculty Appointments

Biography

Research

The overarching goal of the Fiebelkorn lab’s research is to understand how the brain flexibly allocates its limited processing resources to improve behavioral outcomes. Addressing this goal requires observing neural dynamics on multiple scales—at the levels of single neurons, local neural populations, and large-scale networks.

Research questions: How does the brain navigate our complex environments? In a busy street scene, for example, the brain relies on filtering mechanisms. Two primary functions interact to make this filtering possible: (1) spatial attention (enhanced or suppressed sensory processing) and saccades (exploratory shifts of gaze). A shared network of brain regions, known as the “attention network,” directs both. But how?

Key findings and new investigations: We recently demonstrated that these sensory and motor functions alternate over time (approximately every 250 ms). We continue to investigate the temporal dynamics of attention-related functions. This work covers the balance not only between sensory and motor functions, but also between enhancement (of behaviorally relevant information) and suppression (of distracting information). We are further investigating whether such temporal or rhythmic coordination is a more general mechanism in the brain for resolving potential functional conflicts, maintaining cognitive and representation flexibility.

Clinical applications: We hope that our research will provide a new lens through which to investigate and treat brain disorders marked by abnormalities in cognitive flexibility, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Credentials

Education

2001
BA | Hamilton College
Neuroscience

2011
PhD | City University of NY, City College
Neuroscience

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

2016 - 2020
Associate Research Scholar, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ Advisor: Dr. Sabine Kastner

2012 - 2015
Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ Advisor: Dr. Sabine Kastner

2011 - 2012
Postdoctoral Fellow, Departments of Neuroscience and Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY and Center for Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND Advisors: Dr. John J. Foxe, Dr. Mark E. McCourt

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Awards

2009
CUNY Research Grant for Doctoral Students

2006 - 2011
CUNY Graduate Center Science Fellowship

2004
RTI International Highly Published Author and Outstanding Paper Awards

2003 - 2004
RTI International Annual Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Strategic Goals

2001
Senior Prize in Neuroscience, Hamilton College

2000
New York Science Education Program Summer Research Grant, Hamilton College

1997 - 2001
Dixon-Comstock Scholarship, Hamilton College

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Publications

Journal Articles

4/17/2023
Abdalaziz M, Redding ZV, Fiebelkorn IC. "Rhythmic temporal coordination of neural activity prevents representational conflict during working memory." Current biology : CB.. 2023 Apr 17; Epub 2023 Apr 17.

1/31/2023
Aussel A, Fiebelkorn IC, Kastner S, Kopell NJ, Pittman-Polletta BR. "Interacting rhythms enhance sensitivity of target detection in a fronto-parietal computational model of visual attention." eLife.. 2023 Jan 31; 12Epub 2023 Jan 31.

10/27/2022
Fiebelkorn IC. "There Is More Evidence of Rhythmic Attention than Can Be Found in Behavioral Studies: Perspective on Brookshire, 2022." Journal of cognitive neuroscience.. 2022 Oct 27; :1-7. Epub 2022 Oct 27.

Books & Chapters

2012
Chapter Title: Attention and Multisensory Feature Integration
Book Title: The New Handbook of Multisensory Processing (Second Edition)
Author List: Fiebelkorn IC, Foxe JJ, Molholm S
Published By: MIT Press 2012

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