Publications

Question:Epileptic seizures are considered a dynamic disease of brain networks, representing a complex interplay between the organization of brain networks and the dynamics of metabolic resources. This interplay shapes how seizures initiate and spread in the brain. How do the structure of brain networks and the dynamics of resource allocation influence the generation and propagation of seizures?

Impact: Understanding seizure dynamics at the whole-brain level is crucial for controlling abnormal hypersynchronous activity. Currently, complete brain coverage recordings are lacking in both patients and animal models. In this study, we investigate seizure dynamics at whole brain level in silico. Moreover, our results support existing studies that suggest the cortico-thalamic initiation of generalized seizures, with regions primarily in the cortex initiating the seizures.

Avinash Ranjan, Saurabh R. Gandhi

Network Neuroscience

Question:Decoding is an extrinsic approach - the experimenter knows what is shown to the subject, and then asks- activity in what brain region can predict what was shown? But what is shown can be very different from what was consciously perceived by the subject. Can a new metric (spectral differentiation) predict what was consciously seen by the subject?

Impact: While decoding neural responses from any of the observed visual areas in mice can predict what was shown to the mouse, spectral differentiation in only specific visual areas (AL, AM) and layers (L2/3) is increased for ethologically ‘meaningful’ compared to ‘meaningless’ stimuli. Could it possibly be predicting what the mouse actually saw, not just what it was shown?

WGP Mayner, W Marshall, YN Billeh, SR Gandhi, S Caldejon, A Cho, F Griffin, N Hancock, S Lambert, EK Lee, JA Luviano, K Mace, C Nayan, TV Nguyen, K North, S Seid, A Williford, C Cirelli, PA Groblewski, J Lecoq, G Tononi, C Koch, A Arkhipov

ENEURO.0280-21.2021 9 (1) (2022)

Question:The claustrum, a centrally connected brain region, has been hypothetized to be involved in consciousness. How does the cortex respond to optogenetic stimulation of the mouse claustrum?

Impact: We found that unlike a few similar recent studies that suggest claustrum stimulation uniformly inhibits the cortex, claustrum stimulation can actually lead to a wide variety of responses in the cortex, depending on the cortical area and cell types observed. We characterized these responses in depth in this manuscript.

EG McBride, SR Gandhi, JR Kuyat, DR Ollerenshaw, A Arkhipov, C Koch, SR Olsen

Neuron (2022)

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