Robert Lipsky, Ph.D. Director, Translational Research Inova Neurosciences Institute Inova Health System Abstract: A complex system of activated immune cells and cytokines contributes to the inflammatory response after spinal cord injury (SCI). Specific receptors are the targets of cytokines in these cells. It is known that the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, α7nAChR, plays a […]
Saleet Jafri Krasnow Institute George Mason University Abstract: Understanding how genetic variation manifests itself as phenotype is major unanswered question in biology. We explore this issue in the context of heart disease. A certain class of cardiac arrhythmia results from defects in intracellular calcium dynamics. Of these many can be attributed to genetic mutations in […]
Rob Cressman Krasnow Institute George Mason University Abstract: Non-invasive specific control of brain activity requires the observation of generic brain dynamics, the identification of brain states, the selection of appropriate stimuli, and the actuation of stimuli. In collaboration with a number of researchers at Mason we have made significant headway on all of these fronts and are working towards closed-loop […]
Professor Rebecca Burwell Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences Brown University Abstract: Parahippocampal connections with posterior parietal cortex and the thalamus are well documented for the rodent and primate brains, but there are many open questions about the functions of these circuits. In the rodent brain, the postrhinal cortex, posterior parietal cortex , and […]
Ted Dumas Krasnow Institute George Mason University Abstract: The Physiological and Behavioral Neuroscience in Juveniles (PBNJ) laboratory focuses on relating changes in brain function to changes in cognitive ability during the postnatal period. We are a highly interdisciplinary laboratory tampering with genes, fiddling about with proteins and cells, poking and prodding at the physiological level, […]
Giorgio Ascoli Krasnow Institute George Mason University Abstract: Although most neuroscientists have yet to embrace a culture of data sharing, the decade-long success story of NeuroMorpho.Org demonstrates how publicly available repositories may benefit data producers and end-users alike. NeuroMorpho.Org is a centrally curated repository of digital reconstructions of axonal and dendritic morphology hosting freely accessible […]
Kenneth De Jong Krasnow Institute George Mason University Abstract: Historically, the field of Computer Science has developed from the fields of mathematics and engineering. While the influence of these fields continues to be quite strong, there is an increasing interest in developing new computational techniques based on inspiration from nature. Examples include artificial neural networks, […]
Avrama Blackwell Krasnow Institute George Mason University Abstract: The basal ganglia is a collection of brain areas involved in normal learning and motor behavior as well as diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, and addiction. The striatum of the basal ganglia is a major site of learning and memory for goal directed actions and habit formation. […]
Rob Axtell Krasnow Institute George Mason University Other things being equal, people will accept less reward in the near term instead of more in the long run. This behavior is called discounting the future (or simply discounting) and is a cornerstone of both practical finance (interest rates!) and theoretical models in economics. It is known […]
Nadine Kabbani Krasnow Institute George Mason University Intracellular calcium encodes spatial and temporal information in neurons. I will discuss my lab’s work on the mechanisms of cellular calcium signaling through the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in growing axons. This research aims to provide an understanding of principles that underlie connectivity in the nervous system.
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