Research projects

Projects

The Group is currently participating in the following projects:

Funding Programme: Consolider Ingenio 2010 funded by the MICINN

Subject: Bilingualism and Cognitive Neuroscience (BRAINGLOT)
Project coordinated by Dra. Nuria Sebastiian-Galles in cooperation with Dr. Gustavo Deco, Dr. Albert Costa, Dr. Salvador Soto-Faraco, Dr. Itziar Laka, Dr. Cesar Avila and Dr. Carles Escera.

Description: By integrating the work of six research groups comprising professionals from various scientific fields and with the common aim of addressing the phenomenon of bilingualism, the overall objective of this project is to understand the neural and cognitive mechanisms that enable the acquisition and use of various languages considered within the wider context of other human cognitive skills.

Duration: 5 years + 1; Starting Date: October 2007

See for more info at http://brainglot.upf.edu

Funding Programme: Pla de Recerca i Innovació de Catalunya (Research and Innovation Plan of Catalonia) 2005-08 funded by AGAUR

Subject: Research Group in Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience (Grup de Recerca en Neurociencia Cognitiva i Computacional)

Description: The objective of this grant is to support the Research Group in Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience. The group's objective is to understand the mechanisms underlying brain functions such as attention, decision making, multisensory integration (MSI) and speech processing. Not only does the group use experimental methods to obtain empirical evidence about human behavioural and physiological responses related to cognitive functions, but the group also constructs models of the neuronal mechanisms of these cognitive functions, such as those of selective and executive attentional control.

Duration: 4 years; Starting Date: September 2009

Funding Programme:Ajuts a la Recerca de la Fundació La Marató de TV3 (Research Grant from the TV3 Marató Foundation)

Subject:Studying the Relapsing Dynamics of Major Depression through Network Analysis of fMRI Connectivity Maps: Implications for Therapy
Project in cooperation with the Institut d’Investigacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer (August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute).

Description:The objective of this project is to analyse the network and control properties of the functional connectivity map underlying Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) that allow the emergence of depressive relapses. The specific aims are: (a) to reverse engineer the functional connectivity map of depressive symptoms, (b) to develop computational models of the functional connectivity maps of MDD to identify the control elements driving relapse dynamics (negative feedback processes) and (c) to validate the control elements of the model using experimental data from prospective patients and perturbations applied through repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulations (rTMS).

Duration: 3 years ; Starting Date: January 2010

Funding Programme: FP7 People Specific Programme – Initial Training Networks

Subject: Coordination for Optimal Decisions in Dynamic Environments (CODDE)
This is a collaborative project coordinated by the University of Birmingham with the participation of the following groups: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS; National Center for Scientific Research), France; Vereniging Voor Christelijk Hoger Onderwijs Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek en Patientenzorg, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Justus-Liebig-Universitaet Giessen, Germany; Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, London, England; UPF, Barcelona, Spain; Brain Innovation BV, Maastricht, The Netherlands

Description: Description: The network addresses the topic of human brain and behaviour by combining interdisciplinary tools and techniques. It pools expertise from nine partner institutions and three associated industrial partners (the "partners"). It will train 14 early stage researchers and three experienced researchers (the "fellows") in using combinations of techniques involving behavioural measurements, virtual reality, eye recordings, arm and body movements, and measures of brain activity. This synthesis of techniques and interdisciplinary approaches is essential in advancing our understanding of the complex links between sensory input, neural activity and adaptive behaviour.

Duration: 4 years ; Starting Date: September 2008

See for more info at http://optimaldecisions.org

ebsite: http://www.brainnrg.org/ Funding Programme: James S. McDonnell Foundation Starting Date: January 2011 Duration: 3 years

Funding Programme: James S. McDonnel Foundation

Subject: Brain Network Recovery Group Project

Description: The James S. McDonnell Foundation sponsors the Brain Network Recovery Group (Brain NRG). This group of 17 scientists span the domains of computational, cognitive and clinical neuroscience but share a focus on understanding brain network dynamics and how they relate to recovery of function. Their approach moves away from the investigation of isolated regional responses and considers the function of each region in terms of its dynamic interaction with other brain regions.

Duration: 3 years ; Starting Date:January 2011

See for more info at http://brainnrg.org

Funding Programme: FP7 Cooperation Specific Programme – Future Emerging Information and Communication Technologies

Subject: Brain-Inspired Multiscale Computation in Neuromorphic Hybrid Systems (BrainScaleS)
This is a collaborative project coordinated by Heidelberg University with the participation of the following groups: UPF, Barcelona, Spain; Technische Universität Dresden, Germany; CNRS, Unite de Neurosciences (UNIC; Gif-sur-Yvette), Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives de la Mediterranee (INCM) and Institut des Sciences du Mouvement (ISM; Marseille), France; Technische Universität Graz, Austria; Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Germany; Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and the Blue Brain Project, Switzerland; Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et en Automatique (INRIA; National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control), Sophia Antipolis, France; Kungliga Tekniska Hogskolan, Stockholm, Sweden; Universitat Zurich, Switzerland

Description: The BrainScaleS project aims at understanding the function and interaction of multiple spatial and temporal scales in brain information processing. The fundamentally new approach of BrainScaleS lies in in-vivo biological experimentation and computational analysis. Spatial scales range from individual neurons to larger neuron populations to entire functional brain areas. Temporal scales range from milliseconds relevant for event-based plasticity mechanisms to hours or days relevant for learning and development. In this project, generic theoretical principles will be extracted to enable an artificial synthesis of cortical-like cognitive skills. Both, numerical simulations on petaflop supercomputers and a fundamentally different non-von Neumann hardware architecture will be employed for this purpose.

Duration: 4 years ; Starting Date: January 2011

See for more info at http://brainscales.kip.uni-heidelberg.de/

Description: Funding Programme: FP7 Cooperation Specific Programme – Future Emerging Information and Communication Technologies Starting Date: January 2011 Duration: 4 years

Funding Programme:

Subject: Choreographing Neural Networks: Coupling Activity Dynamics Across Biomimetic Brain Interfaces with Neuromorphic VLSI (CORONET)
This is a collaborative project coordinated by the Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg with the participation of the following groups: La Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (SISSA; International School for Advanced Studies), Italy; Technion – Israel Institute Of Technology, Israel; UPF, Barcelona, Spain; Technische Universitat Dresden, Germany; Istituto Superiore di Sanita', Italy

Description: This project lays the theoretical and technological foundation for future biohybrid and brain-machine-interface devices, taking advantage of recent progress in our theoretical understanding of the brain, in-vivo and in-vitro electrophysiology and biomimetic hardware components (neuromorphic VLSI). If successful, the project will seamlessly interface biomimetic hardware devices with neural tissues and moreover will deliver theories and technologies for future artefacts that functionally and physically integrate into operational brain systems.

Duration: 4 years ; Starting Date: January 2011

Funding Programme: Plan Nacional de I+D+I (National Plan for Research, Development and Innovation) 2008-2011 funded by the MINECO

Subject: Communication and Information Processing Between Cortical Circuits: Oscillations and Plasticity
Description: A hallmark characteristic of neuronal and cortical activity is their rhythmic synchronisation in several distinct frequency bands, ranging from approximately 0.05 Hz to 500 Hz as evidenced by local single cell spiking activity, local field potentials, electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG) and even functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data. Interactions among neuronal groups depending on neuronal synchronisation may modulate communication and information processing between those groups. In this way, oscillations may shape the computational role of different neuronal groups over time. Indeed, another salient discovery recently reflected in neurophysiological measurements is the variation of encoding characteristics of single neurons over time. In this project, we hypothesise that oscillations in conjunction with short-term plasticity are fundamental mechanisms underlying communication and computation in the brain. To address this problem, we need to combine psychophysical and neurophysiological experiments and theories.

Duration: 3 years; Starting Date: January 2011

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

Co-Workers: Anja Stemme (Ludwig-Maximiliams-University, Munich)
Subject: Dynamic of Attention, Working Memory, Cognitive Flexibility

EU Grant EmCAP

Emergent Cognition through Active Perception
Cooperation with University of Plymouth, Amsterdam and Budapest.

See for more info at http://emcap.iua.upf.es

Joint Researh Project with the University of Birmingham

Co-Workers: Dietmar Heinke and Glyn Humphreys
Subject: Visual Search, Attention

Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia - TIN2004-04363-C03-01

Mechanisms of Multisensory and Temporal Integration in Cognition and Intelligent Systems (TIN2004-04363-C03-01)
Coordinated Project together with Universitat de Barcelona (Psychology) and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Computer Science)

Siemens Corporate Technology

ALAVLSI (EU Grant), BMBF (ModKog), Computational Principles associated with Cognition

Volkswagen Foundation

Audiovisual Processing of Speech and Non-Speech Oral Gestures: Plasticity of Cross-Modal Integration
Cooperation University Munich (Neuropsychologische Klinik & Poliklinik; and Nuklearmedizinische Klinik)

EU Grant: Neural Decision in Motion

EU FP6 IST Cognitive Systems Integrated Project

More info in: http://www-cogsys.uni-regensburg.de

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