Monday, March 31, 2014
4:30 PM
Staller Center for the Arts, Main Stage
Stony Brook University (Main Campus)
Stony Brook, NY

• View the video replay

Directions to Stony Brook University: http://ws.cc.stonybrook.edu/sb/directions.shtml (for the closest public parking, use the Administration Parking Garage)

A free presentation, intended for a general audience.

Biography:

William Newsome, PhD

Professor of Neurobiology Stanford University, School of Medicine

The long-term goal of Newsome's research is to understand the neuronal processes that mediate visual perception and visually guided behavior. To this end the Newsome Lab is conducting parallel behavioral and physiological experiments in animals that are trained to perform selected perceptual or eye movement tasks. By recording the activity of cortical neurons during performance of such tasks, initial insights are gained into the relationship of neuronal activity to the animal's behavioral capacities. Hypotheses concerning this relationship are tested by modifying neural activity within local cortical circuits to determine whether behavior is effected in a predictable manner.

Computer modelling techniques are then used to develop more refined hypotheses concerning the relationship of brain to behavior that are both rigorous and testable. This combination of behavioral, electrophysiological and computational techniques provides a realistic basis for neurophysiological investigation of cognitive functions such as perception, memory and motor planning.

William Newsome is also the co-chair of Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Working Group, a recent initiative announced by the White House as part of a new Presidential focus aimed at revolutionizing our understanding of the human brain.

Additional Resources:

Prof. Newsome – home page:

http://med.stanford.edu/profiles/William_Newsome/

Event home pages:

The Swartz Foundation – Mind/Brain Lecture Series Home Page

http://www.theswartzfoundation.org/research_c.asp

Stony Brook University Mind/Brain Lecture Series Home Page