Olfactory sensor processing in neural networks: lessons from modeling the fruit fly antennal lobe.

The insect olfactory system can be a model for artificial olfactory devices. In particular, Drosophila melanogaster due to its genetic tractability has yielded much information about the design and function of such systems in biology. In this study we investigate possible network topologies to separate representations of odors in the primary olfactory neuropil, the antennal lobe.

A computational model of thalamocortical dysrhythmia.

Functional stereotactic lesions in the central lateral nucleus of the medial thalamus have proved to be an effective treatment of neurogenic pain and other neurological disorders associated with thalamocortical dysrhythmia. The mechanisms underlying patient recovery after surgery are currently being explored using quantitative electroencephalography. Here we test the hypothesis that the particular role played by the non-specific medial thalamic nuclei in thalamocortical dysrhythmia is based on the divergent connectivity between these non-specific and reticular nuclei.

Anti-saccades away from faces: evidence for an influence of high-level visual processes on saccade programming.

The anti-saccade task is an important tool for investigating both the generation of voluntary saccades and the suppression of involuntary, stimulus driven, saccades. In the anti-saccade task participants have to suppress an involuntary saccade to the stimulus in order to generate a voluntary saccade away from the stimulus. The extent to which errors occur in this task indicates the ability of the stimulus to trigger an orienting response that is beyond the control of the participant.