Emergent effects of synaptic connectivity on the dynamics of global and local slow waves in a large-scale thalamocortical network model of the human brain.

Slow-wave sleep (SWS), characterized by slow oscillations (SOs, <1Hz) of alternating active and silent states in the thalamocortical network, is a primary brain state during Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep. In the last two decades, the traditional view of SWS as a global and uniform whole-brain state has been challenged by a growing body of evidence indicating that SO can be local and can coexist with wake-like activity. However, the mechanisms by which global and local SOs arise from micro-scale neuronal dynamics and network connectivity remain poorly understood.

Emergent effects of synaptic connectivity on the dynamics of global and local slow waves in a large-scale thalamocortical network model of the human brain.

Slow-wave sleep (SWS), characterized by slow oscillations (SO, <1Hz) of alternating active and silent states in the thalamocortical network, is a primary brain state during Non-Rapid Eye Movement (NREM) sleep. In the last two decades, the traditional view of SWS as a global and uniform whole-brain state has been challenged by a growing body of evidence indicating that SO can be local and can coexist with wake-like activity. However, the understanding of how global and local SO emerges from micro-scale neuron dynamics and network connectivity remains unclear.

A modeling framework for adaptive collective defense: crisis response in social-insect colonies.

Living systems, from cells to superorganismic insect colonies, have an organizational boundary between inside and outside and allocate resources to defend it. Whereas the micro-scale dynamics of cell walls can be difficult to study, the adaptive allocation of workers to defense in social-insect colonies is more conspicuous. This is particularly the case for Tetragonisca angustula stingless bees, which combine different defensive mechanisms found across other colonial animals: (1) morphological specialization (distinct soldiers (majors) are produced over weeks); (2) age-based polyethism (young majors transition to guarding tasks over days); and (3) task switching (small workers (minors) replace soldiers within minutes under crisis).

Alternative model systems for cognitive variation: eusocial-insect colonies.

Understanding the origins and maintenance of cognitive variation in animal populations is central to the study of the evolution of cognition. However, the brain is itself a complex, hierarchical network of heterogeneous components, from diverse cell types to diverse neuropils, each of which may be of limited use to study in isolation or prohibitively challenging to manipulate in situ. Consequently, highly tractable alternative model systems may be valuable tools.

Dynamics of prion proliferation under combined treatment of pharmacological chaperones and interferons.

Prions are proteins that cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases. The misfolded conformation adopted by prions can be transmitted to other normally folded proteins. Therapeutics to stop prion proliferation have been studied experimentally; however, it is not clear how the combination of different types of treatments can decrease the growth rate of prions in the brain.