Spring Semester 2010-2011

For Spring Semester 2010-2011, the Behavioral, Computational, and Systems Neuroscience (BCS) Journal Club will meet on Tuesdays from 11:45 to 1:00 pm in Uris Hall 205. 

Papers and notes from previous semesters can be found in the BCS meeting archive.

The overarching theme this semester is Cell assemblies, functional connectivity, and feedback.  Please interpret it broadly. It is intended to include such diverse topics as: cortical microcircuits, the dynamic reconfiguration of neural circuitry, decision making by such circuitry, the interactions between complex circuits and neuromodulatory nuclei (e.g., the basis for specificity in neuromodulatory effects), and the relationship between specific neuromodulators and nominal functions such as "attention" or "arousal".  

To add yourself to the BCS-L mailing list, send a plain-text email to bcs-L-request@cornell.edu with the body of the message saying simply join.  The subject line doesn't matter.  Sending the message leave instead will unsubscribe you from the list.  See Cornell's Lyris HowTo page for further details. 

You can enroll in the BCS Journal Club for graduate or undergraduate credit  (2 CR, S/U) as a Topics in Biopsychology seminar:  PSYCH 6271-102.  The course requires that you present at least once during the semester and participate actively overall.

Please contact Thomas Cleland or David Smith with any questions.

25 January 2011:  Organizational Meeting

• No readings. Please come prepared to choose a day to present from the many opportunities below.

1 February 2011:  Patrick Gill

• Shoham S, O'Connor DH, Segev R (2006)  How silent is the brain: is there a "dark matter" problem in neuroscience?  Journal of Comparative Physiology A.  
• Song S, Sjoestroem PJ, Reigl M, Nelson S, Chklovskii DB (2005)  Highly nonrandom features of synaptic connectivity in local cortical circuits.  PLoS Biology 3(3):0507-0519 (e68). 

8 February 2011:  Dave Bulkin

• Optional Reading: Bulkin and Groh, in press, Systematic Mapping of the Monkey Inferior Colliculus Reveals Enhanced Low Frequency Sound Representation.

15 February 2011:  TBD

• TBD

22 February 2011:  TBD

• TBD

1 March 2011:  Guoshi Li

• Ardid S, Wang X-J, Gomez-Cabrero D, Compte A (2010)  Reconciling coherent oscillation with modulation of irregular spiking activity in selective attention:  gamma-range synchronization between sensory and executive cortical areas.  J Neuroscience 30(8):2856-2870.

      This is a tough one folks, so be extra sure to read it ahead of time. 

 Followup papers and URL of potential interest:

• Ardid S, Wang X-J, Compte A (2007).  An integrated microcircuit model of attentional processing in the neocortex.  J Neuroscience 27(32):8486-8495.  This is the data paper preceding the modeling paper we read for journal club today.
• A video lecture by Albert Compte can be found here  (thanks Matt).
• Froehlich F, McCormick DA (2010).  Endogenous electric fields may guide neocortical network activity.  Neuron 67:129-143.  This paper discusses the possibility that field potentials may directly influence neuronal activity/spike timing.
• Anastassiou et al. (2011).  Ephaptic coupling of cortical neurons. Nature Neuroscience.  
• Anastassiou et al. (2010).  The effect of spatially inhomogeneous extracellular electric fields on neurons.  J Neurosci 30(5):1925-1936.  These two papers defend the concept of ephaptic interactions (incl field potentials) affecting neuronal activity.

8 March 2011:  Licurgo de Almeida

•  David M. Eagleman and Terrence J. Sejnowski (2007). Motion signals bias localization judgments: A unified explanation for the flash-lag, flash-drag, flash-jump, and Frohlich illusions. Journal of Vision. 7(4):3, 1-12.

15 March 2011:  Matt Lewis

• Zhang H, Lin S-C, Micolelis MAL (2010)  Spatiotemporal coupling between hippocampal acetylcholine release and theta oscillations in vivo.  J Neuroscience 30(40): 13431-13440.
• Zhang, Lin and Nicolelis (2009). Acquiring local field potential information from amperometric neurochemical recordings. J Neurosci Methods 179:191-200.

22 March 2011:   SPRING BREAK -- NO MEETING

• If you come to BCS today, you will be mocked. 

29 March 2011:  Laura Darnieder

• Gyorgy Buzsaki (2010). Neural Syntax: Cell Assemblies, Synapsembles, and Readers. Neuron, 68:362-385.

5 April 2011:  Michelle Tong

• TBD

12 April 2011:  Tanya Nauvel

• TBD

19 April 2011:  Anuttama Sheela Mohan

• TBD

26 April 2011:  Adam Miller

• TBD

3 May 2011:  Al Molnar

• TBD