Bioinfo Labs | CEPCEB | IIGB | UC Riverside We are interested in understanding cellular and network mechanisms underlying normal and paroxysmal oscillations in the brain and the role of neuronal oscillations and synchrony in information processing. Oscillatory activity is an emerging property of the brain. The patterns of brain oscillations depend on its functional state and serve different tasks. Sleep slow rhythms can mediate the processes of synaptic plasticity and contribute to memory formation. Fast oscillatory activities are associated with cognitive processes and are involved in transmission of information through the sensory pathways. Transformation of normal brain oscillations into paroxysmal rhythms is associated with severe clinical conditions such as epilepsy. Oscillations in different brain systems can be mediated by similar mechanisms therefore providing common ground for studying brain functions. Understanding these common mechanisms is the primary goal of our research program. Our work focuses on the following areas: (1) Studying cellular and network mechanisms for normal (sleep, attentive states) and abnormal (epilepsy) oscillations in the thalamocortical system; (2) Studying role of oscillations and synchrony in olfactory coding — this project is targeted to discover the general principles and the neural circuitry involved in the encoding of sensory information in the brain. To address these questions, we use broad spectrum of experimental and computational approaches ranging from conductance based models developed from experimental data to different classes of simplified neuronal models that allow large-scale analysis with realistic network structure. NEW! Postdoc positions are available in computational and experimental neuroscience in Maxim Bazhenov's lab at the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience and Institute for Integrative Genome Biology at the University of California, Riverside. Please contact M.Bazhenov for details or read here. |  Contact Information: Maxim Bazhenov Associate Professor Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience Institute for Integrative Genome Biology 1202F Genomics Building University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 Email: Maksim.Bazhenov@ucr.edu Phone: (951) 827-4370 |
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