Seminar by Supratim Ray
Attention and Gamma Rhythms
Supratim Ray
Center for Neuroscience, IISc Bangalore
Date: Saturday, August 30th, 2014
Time: 11:00 AM
Venue: KD101.Abstract:
Our senses convey rich and detailed information about the external world, but we can selectively attend to some details while ignoring others. This capacity for selective attention is critical for survival and essential for complex tasks. Problems with controlling and directing attention, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can impair the ability of individuals to function normally. Although attentional mechanisms have been studied at several different recording scales - from single neurons in monkeys to population measures such as electroencephalography (EEG) in humans, the relationship between signals recorded from such different scales is poorly understood. We study the mechanisms of attention by linking the neural recordings obtained from these vastly different scales. In particular, we focus on certain rhythms in the brain, such as the gamma rhythm (30-80 Hz), as well as the high-gamma activity (>80 Hz), which are modulated by attentional load. We study the relationship between brain rhythms recorded at different scales with spiking activity, and how attention modulates this relationship.
About the speaker:
Dr. Ray received his B.Tech in EE, IIT Kanpur and did his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He did his postdoctoral work at the Dept of Neurobiology at Harvard Medical School with Dr. John Maunsell. He has been with the Center for Neuroscience at IISc since June 2011.
He is interested in the mechanisms of attention, and studies these phenomena on macaques. He is particularly interested in the ability to focus on certain stimuli while ignoring others, and the role brain rhythms may play in higher order cognitive function.