Statistical Neuroscience

Higher brain functions are attributed to the cortex, a brain structure composed of a large number of neurons which are highly interconnected. A potential mechanism for neuronal information processing is the coordinated activity of populations of neurons. To approach this level of processing and to study the spatial and temporal scales of neuronal interaction requires to observe large portions of the network simultaneously. Our work focuses on the development of analysis strategies that detect the concerted activity in the brain and enable us to explore the relevance of the observed activity for behavior and cognition.

Our research goal is to gain an understanding of the relevant spatio-temporal scale(s) at which the cortex effectively interacts, and to contribute to the uncovering of its function. This requires:
1. Combination of advanced experimental techniques with theoretical work on data analysis and modeling
2. Development of statistical tools for data from awake behaving animals
3. Data analysis to extract and condense the relevant characteristics of the system
4. Interpretation of the system dynamics by construction of theoretical (biophysical and functional) models
5. Intense interaction with experimenters, who provide us with their experimental data and valuable insights from the experimental perspective.

See detailed descriptions of the Projects.