Matthew I. Banks Research Grants

R01: NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

“Integration of Ascending and Descending Input to Auditory Cortex” 8/1/09 – 7/31/14

The main goal of this project is to understand how sensory neocortex encodes information. Sensory perceptions are shaped by prior experience and expectation, and integration of these top-down and bottom-up information streams enhances our ability to identify stimuli in noisy environments and speeds sensorimotor integration. Deficits in this ability are common in neuropathologies such as autism, schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Evidence suggests that feedback circuits in cerebral cortex are critical for this experience-dependent modulation of incoming sensory information, but the neural mechanisms involved are poorly understood. These experiments will elucidate how one such cortical feedback circuit affects the processing of incoming auditory information. Role: Principal Investigator

Mentored Research Award from the International Anesthesia Research Society

“Pathway Specific Mechanisms of Anesthesia in the Cortex”

Despite widespread use, the mechanisms whereby anesthetic agents cause loss of consciousness are still not understood. Understanding these mechanisms relates to one of the most intriguing open questions in neuroscience: the neural correlate of consciousness.
In this project we will use murine thalamo-cortical brain slices to study these mechanisms. We will examine the effect of different anesthetics on the bottom-up connections from the thalamus to the auditory cortex, and compare it to the effect of these anesthetics on the top-down (cortico-cortical) connections from higher order cortical areas. Our preliminary results suggest that the bottom-up sensory information arrives intact in cortex, whereas the top-down predictive information is absent, and therefore meaning cannot be assigned to the incoming sensory information. We will examine this at the network level, as well as at the synaptic – cellular level using multiple electro-physiological and optogenetic techniques. Roles: PI – Aeyal Raz, MD, PhD; Mentor – Matthew I. Banks, PhD

American Hearing Research Foundation

“Neural Basis for Sensory Discrimination and Perceptual Learning in the Auditory Cortex” 1/1/09 – 12/31/10

The goal of this project was to understand the role of cortical GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition in the perception of sensory stimuli and how modulation of GABAA receptors by general anesthetics and changes in cortical inhibition in various neuropathologies alter sensory perception. Role: Principal Investigator

R01: NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

“GABAergic Circuits in Auditory Cortex” 3/1/03 – 7/31/09

The objective of this research was to understand the role of cortical GABAA receptor-mediated inhibition in the perception of sensory stimuli, and how modulation of GABAA receptors by general anesthetics and changes in cortical inhibition in various neuropathologies alters sensory perception. Role: Principal Investigator

R01: NIH National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders with Boston University

“Neuromodulation and Neuronal Dynamics” 9/1/01 – 8/31/06

The goal of this project was to use coordinated electrophysiological, computational and applied mathematical techniques to understand the biophysical underpinnings of synchronous activity in the brain. Role: Co-Investigator

University of Wisconsin-Madison Howard Hughes Faculty Development Grant

“Gamma Oscillations in Auditory Cortex” 2001-2003