The brain is famously hard to understand, with tens of billions of neurons in the human brain. The neurons themselves are very complex, using electrical signals to encode and transmit information. Quantitative methods are therefore very important in neuroscience, whether the focus is on single neuron behavior or the behavior of networks of neurons. The MOB program has faculty members working in the field of neuroscience, investigating the neural mechanisms of learning and memory, neural processing in the cortex involved in the sense of taste, neural processing in the olfactory bulb involved in olfaction or the sense of smell, and metabolic effects on olfaction. Some of the experimental studies are complemented with computational studies through collaboration with computational biophysics faculty members.
Dr. Bertram uses mathematical and computational techniques to answer questions in neuroscience and endocrinology. He collaborates with both theoretical and experimental labs to study the neural coding involved in the sense of taste and the sense of smell, and the mechanism of oscillations and their synchronization in hormone-secreting cells.
Dr. Vincis studies the neural substrates that 1) process and integrate oral chemo- and thermo-sensory information and 2) guide consummatory behaviors and dietary choices. Special focus is on the gustatory portion of the insular cortex and thalamic regions, with the former being a brain region that processes sensory, affective, and cognitive dimensions associated with the experience of eating. Dr. Vincis combines anatomical methods, electrophysiology, optical imaging (including fiber photometry and micro-endoscopy in behaving rodents), behavioral training, and computational methods in his research.
The Dr. Varela laboratory aims to elucidate the mechanisms (cellular, network, computational) by which thalamic cells and networks contribute to learning and memory. A primary goal is to shed light on the spike and local field potential dynamics that facilitate learning and memory across the sleep-wake cycle. One of our general hypotheses is that thalamic networks allow mammals to learn and update the internal mental models of the world that are the foundation of adaptive behavior.
Dr. Karamched uses modeling, mathematical analysis, and computer simulations to understand and solve problems in neuroscience, cell biology, and physiology. His lab collaborates with experimentalists and clinicians within and outside of FSU. In collaboration with the Bertram and Storace labs, his lab aims to divulge the mechanism underlying contrast enhancement in olfaction. The lab is also developing mathematical models of motor transport in neurons to understand how efficient transport breaks down, which is implicated in neurodegenerative disease. The Karamched group uses control systems theory, nonlinear dynamics, and the theory of stochastic processes to address such process.
Perception, decision making and behavior depend on detecting and responding appropriately to sensory information. However, the mechanisms to encode sensory cues, and how those signals are transformed into a neural code that we perceive and act on remains poorly understood. How do organisms recognize and distinguish between the wide range of sensory cues they experience throughout life? How do animals segment behaviorally relevant sensory information from noise in the background? How does the internal state of an organism influence how these processes occur? The laboratory of Dr. Storace uses live imaging techniques in mouse olfactory system to understand this relationship.