Associate Professor, Mathematics University of Pittsburgh Phone: (412) 624-6157 Fax: (412) 624-8397 Email: rubin@math.pitt.edu Individual Website: http://www.math.pitt.edu/~rubin/

Ph.D., Brown University

Research Interests

My primary research efforts focus on geometric dynamical systems analysis of model networks of coupled neurons. Much of this work involves consideration of mechanisms for the generation of population rhythms, such as synchronized or clustered oscillations, in conductance-based models for networks of neurons generating bursts of spikes. By understanding how various network features, such as time scales of ionic currents and synaptic connections, contribute to pattern formation, one hopes to elucidate general mechanisms that underlie rhythms in a variety of specific neuronal contexts.

I have analyzed these issues in a variety of application areas, including: (1) thalamic activity during sleep and epileptic discharges, with a focus on synchronization mechanisms, (2) pathological synchronization in Parkinson's disease, including an analysis of the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic efficacy of deep brain stimulation, (3) the way in which respiratory pacemaker networks use intrinsic cellular and synaptic properties to produce robust rhythms despite significant heterogeneity, (4) the theoretical implications of certain models for spike-timing dependent plasticity, as well as the biological mechanisms that may translate spike timing into plasticity outcomes.

Recent Publications

• Rubin J, Josic K: The firing of an excitable neuron in the presence of stochastic trains of strong inputs. Neural Comput 19:1251-1294, 2007.
• Best J, Borisyuk A, Rubin J, Terman D, Wechselberger M: The dynamic range of bursting in a model respiratory pacemaker network. SIAM J Appl Dyn Syst 4: 1107-1139, 2005.
• Bi G-Q, Rubin J: Timing in synaptic plasticity: From detection to integration. Trends Neurosci 28: 222-228, 2005.
• Rubin J: Surprising effects of synaptic excitation. J Comp Neurosci 18: 333-342, 2005.
• Rubin, J, Gerkin, R, Bi, G-Q, Chow, C. Calcium time course as a signal for spike-timing dependent plasticity. J Neurophysiol 93: 2600-2613, 2005.
• Rubin J, Terman D: High frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus eliminates pathological rhythmicity in a computational model. J Comp Neurosci 16: 211-235, 2004.
• Terman D, Rubin JE, Yew AC, Wilson CJ: Activity patterns in a model for the Subthalamopallidal network of the basal ganglia. J Neurosci 22: 2963-2976, 2002.