Scientific Cooperations

We are working on multi-scale models of the brain, including data-driven theory, bottom-up simulations and functional top-down models. Our institute realizes the research goals in close cooperations with experimental and theoretical groups. Here you find a list of our partners.

Scientific Cooperations (selection, in alphabetical order)

Moshe Abeles, The Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisiplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.

The way in which perceptions, memories, intentions, etc. are represented in the nervous activity of the brain is not known. The main focus of Moshe Abeles' field of investigation is to discover these representations and understand the neuronal mechanism which generates them.

Thomas Brochier, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone (INT), CNRS-AMU, Marseille, France.

Thomas Brochier´s research aims to investigate the cortical mechanisms involved in the control of dexterous hand movements in human and non human primates. He uses advanced multielectrode recording/stimulation techniques to study large population of cortical neurons during well controlled motor tasks. This approach allows exploring the complex reciprocal interactions taking place between key cortical structures along the visuo-motor pathways.

Andrew Davison, Institut de Neurobiologie Alfred Fessard, CNRS, Unité de Neurosciences Intégratives et Computationnelles (UNIC), Gif sur Yvette, France.

Andrew Davison is leading the Neuroinformatics group at UNIC. His main research interests are in large-scale, data-constrained, biologically-detailed modelling of neuronal networks.

Gaute Einevoll, Department of Mathematical Sciences and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Aas, Norway.

Gaute Einevoll's present research activity is in computational neuroscience and neuroinformatics where he has a cross-disciplinary research group at UMB. He is interested in various problems related to the function of nerve cells and networks of nerve cells.

Ichiro Fujita, Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Osaka University, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka, Japan.

Ichiro Fujita's group studies the neural mechanisms underlying visual perception and recognition.

Steve Furber, School of Computer Science, The University of Manchester.

Steve Furber and his group research advanced and novel approaches to processing and computation. Their major activity is the Spinnaker project, where they are building a massively-parallel chip multiprocessor system for modelling large systems of spiking neurons in real time. The ultimate goal here is to build a machine that incorporates a million ARM processors linked together by a communications system that can achieve the very high levels of connectivity observed in biological neural systems. Such a machine would be capable of modelling a billion neurons in real time (which is still only around 1% of the human brain).

John Hertz, Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark and NORDITA, Stockholm, Sweden.

John Hertz' research interersts are statistical physics, particulary: glasses, spin glasses, networks, biological information processing.

Claus Hilgetag, Institut of Computational Neuroscience, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Germany

The main research interest of Claus Hilgetag and his team is the understanding of fundamental organizational principles of brain function and structure by means of computational analysis and modeling and the translation of their findings into clinical applications. Combining integrative approaches of computational neuroscience and neuroinformatics with expertise in advanced biomedical signal and image processing, the interdisciplinary research teams and their projects link the fields of neuroscience and biology with physics, computer science and mathematics.

Björn Kampa, Institute of Biology Molecular and Systemic Neurophysiology, RWTH Aachen University, Germany

Rob Kass, Department of Statistics, Department of Machine Learning, and Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA.

Rob Kass' research focus has been in Bayesian inference and, beginning in 2000, in the application of statistics to neuroscience. He is known not only for his methodological contributions, but also for several major review articles.

Pedro Maldonado, Laboratorio de neurosistemas, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.

Pedro Maldonado has dedicated his research to perceptual mechanisms and sensory integration, specifically focusing his studies on visual perception through sensory perception mechanisms and neuronal assembly dynamics that trigger certain behaviour, with the aim of examining "the properties of simultaneously recorded neurons in the cortex of various mammals, while natural visual exercises are performed".

Kenji Morita, Physical and Health Education, Graduate School of Education, The University of Tokyo, Japan.

Kenkji Morito specializes in detailed modelling of signal transmission in single neurons.

Martin Nawrot, Computational Systems Neuroscience, Institute of Zoology, Univerity of Cologne, Germany.

Martin Nawrot is interested in unraveling principles of information processing in neural systems. A central approach is to design mathematical and computational models of neural function and animal behavior. In close collaboration with experimental partners, he performs analyses of physiological and behavioural data and puts our models to test.

Günther Palm, Institute of Neural Information Processing, University of Ulm, Germany

Gordon Pipa, Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany.

The focus of Gordon Pipa's research is on understanding how information processing and cognitive phenomena can arise from the collective self-organization of elements interacting across many spatial and temporal scales.

Hans Ekkehard Plesser, Department of Mathematical Sciences and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway.

Hans Ekkehard Plesser is a longterm collaborator on our NEST activities.

Alexa Riehle, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone (INT), CNRS-AMU, Marseille, France.

Alexa Riehle investigates higher cognitive motor processes and the underlying dynamics of cooperative, distributed cortical networks. The experiments involve massively parallel multi-electrode recording techniques in the behaving monkey.

Stefan Rotter, Bernstein Center Freiburg, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Germany.

Stefan Rotter's research topics are in particular: computational neuroscience & brain theory, relations between structure, dynamics & function in neuronal networks, spiking activity dynamics in recurrent networks and dynamic ensemble coding in structured networks.

Shigeru Shinomoto, Physics Department, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.

The research interests of Shigeru Shinomoto comprise: neural coding and computation, seismological activity and social communication.

Hiroshi Tamura, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Japan.

Hiroshi Tamura is interested in the mechanism of visual perception and recognition, more specifically in the computational process and neural architecture supporting binocular depth perception and object recognition.

Former Visiting Scientists at IAS-6

• George Gerstein, Institute of Neurological Sciences, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
  George Gerstein studied the nervous system at the level of neuronal assemblies both experimentally and with computer modeling. The experiments involve technology to record in parallel the spike train activity of some 20 neurons in a small brain region.
  
• Karlheinz Meier, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, Heidelberg University, Germany.
  Karlheinz Meier is interested in custom hardware implementations of neural circuits. He has initiated and led 2 major European initiatives in the field (FACETS and BrainScaleS) and is currently co-director of the Human Brain Project.
  
• Mikael Djurfeldt, International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility (INCF), PDC Center for High Performance Computing at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. (2013 - 2017)
  
• John Hertz, Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark and Nordita, Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden. (Apr 2011 and Dec 2013)
  
• Henrik Linden, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. (June – Aug 2011)
  
• Barry J. Richmond, Section on Neural Coding and Computation, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Bethesda, Maryland, USA. (Apr 2013)

Scientific Stays (since 2011)

• Oct 2016 Sonja Grün with Profs. I. Fujita and H. Tamura, Osaka Univ, Osaka, Japan
• Apr 2016 Markus Diesmann with Profs. G. Gerstein and H.E. Plesser, Norwegian Univ. of Life Sciences, Aas, Norway
• Feb 2016 Sonja Grün with Profs. I. Fujita and H. Tamura, Osaka Univ, Osaka, Japan
• Nov 2015 Sonja Grün with Profs. I. Fujita and H. Tamura, Osaka Univ, Osaka, Japan
• Jun 2015 Sonja Grün with Profs. I. Fujita and H. Tamura, Osaka Univ, Osaka, Japan
• May 2015 Markus Diesmann with Prof. G. Gerstein, Univ. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
• Dec 2014 Sonja Grün with Profs. I. Fujita and H. Tamura, Osaka Univ, Osaka, Japan
• Aug 2014 Sonja Grün and Markus Diesmann with Prof. G. Gerstein, Univ. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
• Jan 2014 Sonja Grün with Profs. I. Fujita and H. Tamura, Osaka Univ, Osaka, Japan
• May 2013 Sonja Grün with Prof. G. Gerstein, Univ. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
• Nov 2011 Sonja Grün with Prof. G. Gerstein, Univ. Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

Institutional Collaborations (selection)

We are closely linked to several national and international research institutions and facilities. Among others, these are:

• BNCN - The „Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience“ (BNCN) is a funding initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) that fosters the research discipline of Computational Neuroscience. It establishes regional centers and nation-wide interconnections.
  
• JSC - Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Jülich, Germany
  
• SDL Neuroscience - Simulation and Data Lab (SDL) Neuroscience, Jülich, Germany
  
• INCF - International Neuroinformatics Coordinating Facility, Stockholm, Sweden
  
• RIKEN BSI - RIKEN Brain Science Institute, Wako City, Japan