Mentor Areas
We combine systems neuroscience techniques with computational methods to understand the neural and homeostatic mechanisms controlling sleep in the mammalian brain. We acquire large electrophysiological data sets from mice and then apply various data analysis techniques to understand how neural networks control the interaction between different brain states during sleep. Research in the lab largely focuses on the control of REM sleep, the brain state associated with vivid dreaming.
Description:
Mammalian sleep is a highly dynamical process governed by complex neural and homeostatic interactions that regulate the oscillation between NREM and REM sleep. Although this is a fundamental brain rhythm, so far found in every mammalian brain, the mechanisms regulating the oscillation between these two brain states are still largely unknown. Neurons in the locus coeruleus have been proposed to play an important role in regulating this process. We have collected a large data set of in vivo recordings of LC neurons in freely moving mice together with EEG and EMG recordings. The goal of the proposed project is to apply machine learning and statistical methods to test whether the activity of LC neurons is predictive of when the animal enters NREM or REM sleep and to systematically explore whether the activity of these neurons depends on the brain state history. This project is ideal to familiarize yourself with neural in vivo data and to apply computational tools to large neuroscience data sets with the potential to make important discoveries about the regulation of sleep in the mammalian brain.
Preferred Qualifications
Solid background in programming and data analysis, preferably in python.
Details:
Preferred Student Year
First-year, Second-Year, Junior, Senior
Academic Term
Fall, Spring, Summer
I prefer to have students start during the above term(s).Volunteer
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to volunteers.Paid
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to paying students they engage in their research, regardless of their work-study eligibility.Work Study
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to hiring work-study-eligible students.