Dynamic Coordination in the Brain: From Neurons to Mind

by Christoph von der Malsburg (Editor)

A fundamental shift is occurring in neuroscience and related disciplines. In the past, researchers focused on functional specialization of the brain, discovering complex processing strategies based on convergence and divergence in slowly adapting anatomical architectures. Yet for the brain to cope with ever-changing and unpredictable circumstances, it needs strategies with richer interactive short-term dynamics. Recent research has revealed ways in which the brain effectively coordinates widely distributed and specialized activities to meet the needs of the moment. This book explores these findings, examining the functions, mechanisms, and manifestations of distributed dynamical coordination in the brain and mind across different species and levels of organization. The book identifies three basic functions of dynamic coordination: contextual disambiguation, dynamic grouping, and dynamic routing. It considers the role of dynamic coordination in temporally structured activity and explores these issues at different levels, from synaptic and local circuit mechanisms to macroscopic system dynamics, emphasizing their importance for cognition, behavior, and psychopathology.

Contributors: EvanBalaban, Gy?rgy Buzs?ki, Nicola S. Clayton, Maurizio Corbetta, Robert Desimone, Kamran Diba, Shimon Edelman, Andreas K. Engel, Yves Fregnac, Pascal Fries, KarlFriston, Ann Graybiel, Sten Grillner, Uri Grodzinski, John-Dylan Haynes, LaurentItti, Erich D. Jarvis, Jon H. Kaas, J. A. Scott Kelso, Peter K?nig, Nancy J. Kopell, Ilona Kov?cs, Andreas Kreiter, Anders Lansner, Gilles Laurent, J?rg L?cke, MikaelLundqvist, Angus MacDonald, Kevan Martin, Mayank Mehta, Lucia Melloni, Earl K.Miller, Bita Moghaddam, Hannah Monyer, Edvard I. Moser, May-Britt Moser, DankoNikolic, William A. Phillips, Gordon Pipa, Constantin Rothkopf, Terrence J.Sejnowski, Steven M. Silverstein, Wolf Singer, Catherine Tallon-Baudry, Roger D.Traub, Jochen Triesch, Peter Uhlhaas, Christoph von der Malsburg, Thomas Weisswange, Miles Whittington, Matthew Wilson

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 2, 2010

About the author

Christoph von der Malsburg ist ein deutscher Physiker, Neurobiologe und Hochschullehrer. Er promovierte an der Universität Heidelberg im Jahr 1970, war wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter in der Abteilung Neurobiologie am Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie in Göttingen 1974-1987, war Professor für Informatik und Neurobiologie an der University of Southern California (USC ) 1988-1989 und Professor für Computerwissenschaften an der Ruhr-Universität Bochum von 1990 bis zu seiner Pensionierung.

Christoph von der Malsburg is a German physicist, neurobiologist and university professor. He earned his degree at the University of Heidelberg in 1970, was research assistant on the Department of Neurobiology at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen from 1974 to 1987, was Professor of Computer Science and Neurobiology at the University of Southern California (USC) from 1988 to 1989 and professor of computer science at the Ruhr-University, Bochum from 1990 until his retirement.