Big Question: A new form of information in the brain

Principal Investigator: Dan Margoliash, Organismal Biology and Anatomy

Funding Type: Seed

Focus Area: Cognition

Big Idea: We are exploring a new concept of dynamic information representation in populations of neurons, that can extend our understanding of what information is represented in the stability of a neural network. These ideas arise from observations on the distribution of intrinsic excitation particular neurons recorded in a zebra finch. Modeling studies indicate that the observed variation in these excitations across bird arises from differences in the distribution of principal ionic currents (especially sodium channel currents) in these neurons. We will attempt to use imaging to explore the cellular mechanisms associated with the observed variation.