“Neuronal population coding: from vision to decision”
Marlene Cohen (University of Pittsburgh)
Host: Beth Buffalo
Abstract: I am going to talk about some recent and ongoing work in my lab aimed at finding a neural answer to the question: how does cognition affect perception? My lab studies neural coding through the lens of the primate visual system. A variety of cognitive processes (including attention, learning, task switching, and pharmaceuticals that affect cognition) affect all aspects of our percepts and behaviors, including functions as basic as our ability to see. The logic of our experiments is that if we understand what changes in the brain under conditions when we see well, we will be able to identify what is important about neural coding. Our results point to the importance of measuring the way populations of neurons interact both within and across brain areas.
The department of Physiology & Biophysics acknowledges the Coast Salish peoples of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations. It is in this land where we work, teach, and learn.
