SGER: Collaborative Research: Cognitive Rhythms Collaborative, A Discovery Network

Massachusetts Institute Of Technology, Cambridge MA

Investigators

Abstract

This project focuses on the functional implications of low-frequency rhythms in the basal ganglia and neocortex. The collaborative effort involves four groups: Kopell, (Boston University), Moore (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Graybiel (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Boyden (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The project is the first collaborative research effort of the newly formed Cognitive Rhythms Collaborative (CRC), a group of Boston Area faculty members from Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachusetts General Hospital Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Brandeis University and Tufts University. The aims of the CRC, which fosters research and training, are to map the spatio-temporal structure of brain dynamics and connect these dynamics to brain function. This is the first project to try to understand from basic electrophysiology the growing literature suggesting that the low frequency brain rhythms are critical for both attention and learning, and that interactions among brain structures such as the basal ganglia and neocortex are central for such functions. The project makes use of the electrophysiology skills of the Graybiel lab, which is focused on the dynamics of the basal ganglia, and those of the Moore lab, focused on the neocortex, to understand the flow of information between the cortex and the basal ganglia during learning and attention. This collaboration is enriched by new molecular biology technology developed by the Boyden group. This technology, in which cells can be activated and inactivated by light, provides powerful new techniques for figuring out circuits by looking at effects of perturbations, even in behaving animals. The experimental work is guided by modeling ideas from the Kopell and Moore labs, and the output of the modeling can be tested almost immediately by the labs for quick feedback and changes. This CRC project exemplifies a new and transformational way of doing science, bridging the boundaries of disciplines and institutes to facilitate cutting edge research at the forefront of interdisciplinary endeavors.