Omri Barak, PhD, Associate Professor

Even the simplest of behaviors utilizes large populations of neurons. Thus, it seems unlikely that single neurons will exhibit clear and simple relationships to external stimuli or internal states. Our ability to record the detailed activity of single neurons, however, has led to a bias in searching for precisely these types of neurons. Recent advances in recording from larger populations of neurons in an unbiased manner reveal that complex response properties seem to be the rule, and simple neurons the exception.

Using theoretical tools from the fields of Mathematics and Physics, along with analysis of experimental data from collaborating laboratories, my lab aims to understand how the dynamics of large neural networks support cognitive operations such as learning and memory.