Ear2Brain
Ear2Brain aspires to connect those with interests in auditory neuroscience. Open to all, we welcome the ‘auditory curious’! Join us the first Monday of each month 3-5pm MI for a broadly accessible talk by a local researcher or an invited guest followed by informal interaction over beverages and snacks.
Faculty co-chair: Lori Holt, Carnegie Mellon University
Trainee co-chair: Casey Roark, University of Pittsburgh
Cortico-Basal Ganglia Bunch
The CBGB Collaborative Cluster is a working group focused on the role of cortical-basal ganglia-thalamic circuits in both adaptive behaviors and clinical disorders. At monthly meetings, members will discuss ongoing research, identify new shared interests, and leverage technical expertise across Pitt/CMU to create collaborative cross-species projects (humans, non-human primates, rodents).
Faculty co-chair: Susanne Ahmari, University of Pittsburgh
Trainee co-chair: Alex Hodge, Carnegie Mellon University
Engineering Brain Plasticity for Recovery (EBPR)
The focus of the group is the interaction of psychology with rehabilitation from acquired brain injury (stroke, TBI, brain tumor), and on the methods and infrastructure needed for such research. The rehabilitation of individuals with brain disorders that affect behavioral functions, ranging from perception to motor and speech output, is of increasing interest. This is because there is an aging population more affected by stroke and neurogenerative disorders, and a young population affected by traumatic brain injury resulting from military conflicts and other causes. While neurorehabilitation has been a research and clinical field for decades, we are at a time of opportunity because of technical advances in the device field, and an increase of knowledge of the way in which brain circuits support behavioral functions.
Faculty co-chair: George F. Wittenberg, University of Pittsburgh
Faculty co-chair: Bradford Mahon, Carnegie Mellon University
Trainee co-chair: Alireza Chamanzar, Carnegie Mellon University
Neural Populations and Motor Control
The successful control of movement requires the precise orchestration of populations of neurons spanning multiple brain areas. How is this accomplished? Our collaborative cluster will dissect the literature on this topic, share ongoing research, and work jointly to stay abreast of the cutting-edge work going on in this important field.
Faculty co-chair: Steven Chase, Carnegie Mellon University
Faculty co-chair: Aaron Batista, University of Pittsburgh
Faculty co-chair: Byron Yu, Carnegie Mellon University
Trainee co-chair: Emily Oby, University of Pittsburgh
Neurovascular Coupling Interest Group
The focus of the group is to understand the relationship between neuronal activity and vascular responses (neurovascular coupling) that form the foundation of hemodynamic imaging under a broad range of conditions. Discussions on this broad field combined with a monthly journal club will facilitate collaborations between groups across institutions.
Faculty co-chair: Jana Kainerstorfer, Carnegie Mellon University
Faculty co-chair: Alberto Luis Vazquez, University of Pittsburgh
Trainee co-chair: Deepa Issar, University of Pittsburgh
Trainee co-chair: Christopher G. Cover, University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh Vision Community
A group of faculty and trainees from Pitt and CMU whose research pertains to the psychological and biological basis of visual processing. The interests of the group range widely from the retina all the way to inferotemporal cortex, and studies of both normal and abnormal visual systems are considered as well as human and non-human models of vision. We will meet every few months in either a data blitz format, a panel or when hosting an outside speaker and all are welcome to attend.
Faculty co-chair: Marlene Behrmann, Carnegie Mellon University
Faculty co-chair: Jeff Gross, University of Pittsburgh
Trainee co-chair: Nicholas Blauch, Carnegie Mellon University
Trainee co-chair: Patricia Stan, University of Pittsburgh
Population Coding: Perception to Acting (Pop Coding PA)
Our goal is to understand the fundamental principles of neural circuit organization and how this organization relates to the computations that support perception and appropriate behavior. The approach we take is to record the activity of identified neurons in large ensembles using calcium sensors to uncover the computations taking place during sensory processing and sensory-guided behaviors.
Faculty co-chair: Sarah Ross, University of Pittsburgh
Faculty co-chair: Sandra Kuhlman, Carnegie Mellon University
Trainee co-chair: Charles Warwick, University of Pittsburgh