Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

When Do Correlations Increase With Firing Rates?, Andrea Barreiro, Cheng Ly

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Modeling Cell Proliferation In The Transition From Neurogenesis To Gliogenesis, Christine Mennicke, Troy Ghashghaei, Mansoor A. Haider

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Applying Fmri Complexity Analyses To The Single-Subject: A Case Study For Proposed Neurodiagnostics, Anca R. Radulescu, Emily R. Hannon

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

An Interdisciplinary Approach To Computational Neurostimulation, Madison Guitard

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Noisy Neural Oscillators With Intrinsic And Network Heterogeneity, Kyle P. Wendling, Cheng Ly

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Rules And Mechanisms For Efficient Two-Stage Learning In Neural Circuits, Tiberiu Teşileanu, Bence Ölveczky, Vijay Balasubramanian

Publications and Research

Trial-and-error learning requires evaluating variable actions and reinforcing successful variants. In songbirds, vocal exploration is induced by LMAN, the output of a basal ganglia-related circuit that also contributes a corrective bias to the vocal output. This bias is gradually consolidated in RA, a motor cortex analogue downstream of LMAN. We develop a new model of such two-stage learning. Using stochastic gradient descent, we derive how the activity in ‘tutor’ circuits (e.g., LMAN) should match plasticity mechanisms in ‘student’ circuits (e.g., RA) to achieve efficient learning. We further describe a reinforcement learning framework through which the tutor can build its teaching …

Machine Learning And Natural Language Methods For Detecting Psychopathy In Textual Data, Andrew Stephen Henning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Among the myriad of mental conditions permeating through society, psychopathy is perhaps the most elusive to diagnose and treat. With the advent of natural language processing and machine learning, however, we have ushered in a new age of technology that provides a fresh toolkit for analyzing text and context. Because text remains the medium of choice for most personal and professional interactions, it may be possible to use textual samples from psychopaths as a means for understanding and ultimately classifying similar individuals based on the content of their language usage. This paper aims to investigate natural language processing and supervised …

Non-Human Primates In Neuroscience Research: The Case Against Its Scientific Necessity, Jarrod Bailey, Katy Taylor

Jarrod Bailey, PhD

Public opposition to non-human primate (NHP) experiments is significant, yet those who defend them cite minimal harm to NHPs and substantial human benefit. Here we review these claims of benefit, specifically in neuroscience, and show that: a) there is a default assumption of their human relevance and benefit, rather than robust evidence; b) their human relevance and essential contribution and necessity are wholly overstated; c) the contribution and capacity of non-animal investigative methods are greatly understated; and d) confounding issues, such as species differences and the effects of stress and anaesthesia, are usually overlooked. This is the case in NHP …

Reverse-Engineering The Brain: The Parts Are As Complex As The Whole., Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

The purpose of this paper is to review the current state of neuroscience research with a focus on what has been achieved to date in unraveling the mysteries of brain operations, major research initiatives, fundamental challenges, and potentially realizable objectives. General research approaches aimed at constructing a wiring diagram of the brain (i.e., connectome), determining how the brain encodes and computes information, and whole brain simulation attempts are reviewed in terms of strategies employed and difficulties encountered. While promising advances have been made during the past 50 years due to electron microscopy, the development of new experimental methods, and the …

Symmetries Constrain Dynamics In A Family Of Balanced Neural Networks, Andrea Barreiro, J Nathan Kutz, Eli Shlizerman

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Abrupt Transitions From Low To High Firing Frequencies In Neurons And Neuronal Networks, Ryusei Melody Takeuchi, Christoph Borgers

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Hill's Diagrammatic Method And Reduced Graph Powers, Gregory D. Smith, Richard Hammack

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Wilson-Cowan Coupled Dynamics In A Model Of The Cortico-Striato-Thalamo-Cortical Circuit, Anca R. Radulescu

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Robust Traveling Waves In Chains Of Simple Neural Oscillators, Stanislav M. Mintchev

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Non-Human Primates In Neuroscience Research: The Case Against Its Scientific Necessity, Jarrod Bailey, Katy Taylor

Experimentation Collection

Public opposition to non-human primate (NHP) experiments is significant, yet those who defend them cite minimal harm to NHPs and substantial human benefit. Here we review these claims of benefit, specifically in neuroscience, and show that: a) there is a default assumption of their human relevance and benefit, rather than robust evidence; b) their human relevance and essential contribution and necessity are wholly overstated; c) the contribution and capacity of non-animal investigative methods are greatly understated; and d) confounding issues, such as species differences and the effects of stress and anaesthesia, are usually overlooked. This is the case in NHP …

Design, Programming, And User-Experience, Kaila G. Manca

Honors Scholar Theses

This thesis is a culmination of my individualized major in Human-Computer Interaction. As such, it showcases my knowledge of design, computer engineering, user-experience research, and puts into practice my background in psychology, com- munications, and neuroscience.

I provided full-service design and development for a web application to be used by the Digital Media and Design Department and their students.This process involved several iterations of user-experience research, testing, concepting, branding and strategy, ideation, and design. It lead to two products.

The first product is full-scale development and optimization of the web appli- cation.The web application adheres to best practices. It was …

Chaos And Learning In Discrete-Time Neural Networks, Jess M. Banks

Honors Papers

We study a family of discrete-time recurrent neural network models in which the synaptic connectivity changes slowly with respect to the neuronal dynamics. The fast (neuronal) dynamics of these models display a wealth of behaviors ranging from simple convergence and oscillation to chaos, and the addition of slow (synaptic) dynamics which mimic the biological mechanisms of learning and memory induces complex multiscale dynamics which render rigorous analysis quite difficult. Nevertheless, we prove a general result on the interplay of these two dynamical timescales, demarcating a regime of parameter space within which a gradual dampening of chaotic neuronal behavior is induced …

Characterization Of Calbindin Positive Interneurons Within The Ventral Horn Of The Mouse Spinal Cord, Taylor L. Floyd, David R. Ladle

Symposium of Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

Sensory-motor circuits in the spinal cord integrate sensory feedback from muscles and modulate locomotor behavior. Although we know how the sensory-motor system generally works, the main issue lies in identifying all neurons involved and understanding their interrelationships. Many interneurons contribute to sensory-motor circuits and have been well studied. For example, Renshaw cells (RC) are inhibitory interneurons that prevent motor neurons from over-activity. A distinguishing feature of RCs is that they are the only interneurons within the ventral-most region of the spinal cord expressing the calcium binding protein calbindin (CB). Recent studies have found other subpopulations of ventral horn interneurons outside …

Carbon Fibre Microelectrodes For Neuroscience Applications, Jian Fang, Zhigang Xie, Gordon G. Wallace, Xungai Wang

Australian Institute for Innovative Materials - Papers

Microelectrodes have shown outstanding performance in neural signal recording, neural stimulation and electrochemical sensing1,2. Compared with their micro-sized counterparts, microelectrodes normally exhibit improved signal-to-noise ratio, fast response time and can work with limited sample volumes. Microelectrodes are required to have good biocompatibility, low electrical impedance and long-term stability in many biomedical applications. Carbon fibres are manufactured from polymeric precursor fibres through carbonization, and high carbon content makes carbon fibres electrically conductive, corrosion resistant, biologically safe and inert3. Therefore, carbon fibre has been considered as an ideal candidate for making microelectrodes.

In this work, single carbon fibres were loaded into capillary …

Security Policies That Make Sense For Complex Systems: Comprehensible Formalism For The System Consumer, Rhonda R. Henning

CCE Theses and Dissertations

Information Systems today rarely are contained within a single user workstation, server, or networked environment. Data can be transparently accessed from any location, and maintained across various network infrastructures. Cloud computing paradigms commoditize the hardware and software environments and allow an enterprise to lease computing resources by the hour, minute, or number of instances required to complete a processing task. An access control policy mediates access requests between authorized users of an information system and the system's resources. Access control policies are defined at any given level of abstraction, such as the file, directory, system, or network, and can be …

Design, Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of Novel Compounds With Cns-Activity Targeting Cannabinoid And Biogenic Amine Receptors, Alexander M. Sherwood

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This work seeks to contribute to the discipline of neuropharmacology by way of structure activity relationship from the standpoint of an organic chemist. More specifically, we sought to develop robust synthetic methodology able to efficiently produce an array of compounds for the purpose of systematic evaluation of their interaction with specific sights within the central nervous system (CNS) in order to better understand the mind and to develop drugs that may have beneficial effects on neurological function.

The focus of these studies has been toward the development of novel molecules, using a structure-activity relationship approach, that exhibit binding affinity at …

Methods For Integrative Analysis Of Genomic Data, Paul Manser

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the development of new genomic technologies has allowed for the investigation of many regulatory epigenetic marks besides expression levels, on a genome-wide scale. As the price for these technologies continues to decrease, study sizes will not only increase, but several different assays are beginning to be used for the same samples. It is therefore desirable to develop statistical methods to integrate multiple data types that can handle the increased computational burden of incorporating large data sets. Furthermore, it is important to develop sound quality control and normalization methods as technical errors can compound when integrating multiple genomic …

The Collaboration Particle; Applying The Formalism Of Quantum Theory To Cognition., Kelsey E. Landis, Hontas F. Farmer

Hontas F Farmer

We propose that collaboration between two people can be thought of as a quantum cognitive process wherein the relevant reality to be comprehended is an idea being communicated from one person to the other. Through a combination of writing center pedagogy and quantum theory, supported by mathematical evidence, we assert that collaboration can be effectively and equally established in both face-to-face and online writing tutoring sessions through conscious, active meditation to harness what can be thought of as a particle. Included is an analysis of writing center scholarship to show how collaboration is traditionally considered in a writing center context, …

Just Beautiful Portrays Of The Mind? The Relevance Of Aesthetic Strategies On Knowledge Creation In Neuroscience, Valerie Kummer

The STEAM Journal

We live in the age of big data. All types of data are being generated at an increasing rate but theories about the strategies and methods to visualize them is lagging. One of the main challenges we face today in research is to keep up with the massive amounts of data we produce (Allen, Elena A. et.al, 2012). Especially in the field of neuroscience and its use of imaging technologies, the vast array of data has risen to such a high number that it is impossible to grasp the inherent information without additional software tools and intelligent interfaces. Only through …

Empathy-Based Conservation: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Conservation Policy And Decision-Making, Kaitlyn Delashmutt

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

In the late 20^th century, neuroscientists in Italy discovered a neuron in the brain capable of mentally mimicking the emotions derived from the actions of others (Rizzolatti and Craighero, 2004). It is the process that makes your elbow ache when someone else knocks their elbow on the counter or the uncontrollable smile that creeps up when someone smiles at you. No questions asked, people intuitively sense what others are feeling. The old school of thought was that humans deduced through logic and reason the actions of others and interpreted the emotions through a rational process (Carew et al, 2008). …

Violence On The Brain: A Critique Of Neuroscience In Criminal Law, Amanda C. Pustilnik

Amanda C Pustilnik

Is there such a thing as a criminally "violent brain"? Does it make sense to speak of "the neurobiology of violence" or the "psychopathology of crime"? Is it possible to answer on a physiological level what makes one person engage in criminal violence and another not, under similar circumstances? This Article first demonstrates parallels between certain current claims about the neurobiology of criminal violence and past movements that were concerned with the law and neuroscience of violence: phrenology, Lombrosian biological criminology, and lobotomy. It then engages in a substantive review and critique of several current claims about the neurological bases …

Six Types Of Multistability In A Neuronal Model Based On Slow Calcium Current, Tatiana Malashchenko, Andrey Shilnikov, Gennady Cymbalyuk

Neuroscience Institute Faculty Publications

Background: Multistability of oscillatory and silent regimes is a ubiquitous phenomenon exhibited by excitable systems such as neurons and cardiac cells. Multistability can play functional roles in short-term memory and maintaining posture. It seems to pose an evolutionary advantage for neurons which are part of multifunctional Central Pattern Generators to possess multistability. The mechanisms supporting multistability of bursting regimes are not well understood or classified.

Methodology/Principal Findings: Our study is focused on determining the bio-physical mechanisms underlying different types of co-existence of the oscillatory and silent regimes observed in a neuronal model. We develop a low-dimensional model typifying the dynamics …

P300-Based Bci Performance Prediction Through Examination Of Paradigm Manipulations And Principal Components Analysis., Nicholas Edward Schwartz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Severe neuromuscular disorders can produce locked-in syndrome (LIS), a loss of nearly all voluntary muscle control. A brain-computer interface (BCI) using the P300 event-related potential provides communication that does not depend on neuromuscular activity and can be useful for those with LIS. Currently, there is no way of determining the effectiveness of P300-based BCIs without testing a person's performance multiple times. Additionally, P300 responses in BCI tasks may not resemble the typical P300 response. I sought to clarify the relationship between the P300 response and BCI task parameters and examine the possibility of a predictive relationship between traditional oddball tasks …

Computational Modeling Of Biological Neural Networks On Gpus: Strategies And Performance, Byron Galbraith

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Simulating biological neural networks is an important task for computational neuroscientists attempting to model and analyze brain activity and function. As these networks become larger and more complex, the computational power required grows significantly, often requiring the use of supercomputers or compute clusters. An emerging low-cost, highly accessible alternative to many of these resources is the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) - specialized massively-parallel graphics hardware that has seen increasing use as a general purpose computational accelerator thanks largely due to NVIDIA's CUDA programming interface. We evaluated the relative benefits and limitations of GPU-based tools for large-scale neural network simulation and …

Artificial Intelligence: Soon To Be The World’S Greatest Intelligence, Or Just A Wild Dream?, Edward R. Kollett

Academic Symposium of Undergraduate Scholarship

The purpose of the paper was to examine the field of artificial intelligence. In particular, the paper focused on what has been accomplished towards the goal of making a machine that can think like a human, and the hardships that researchers in the field has faced. It also touched upon the potential outcomes of success. Why is this paper important? As computers become more powerful, the common conception is that they are becoming more intelligent. As computers become more integrated with society and more connected with each other, people again believe they are becoming smarter. Therefore, it is important that …