BCCN-Berlin was recently established with support from the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research to integrate research in computational neuroscience at the Charité, Freie Universität Berlin (FU), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU), Technische Universität Berlin (TU), Fraunhofer FIRST, the Max-Delbrueck-Center and the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.
Main tasks
The Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin (BCCN-Berlin) will play an integrative role in BIOTACT focusing on a combined analysis of behaviour, single neuron properties, and overall system performance investigating strategies for active sensor control, object recognition, and orienting/tracking.
Research experience
The BCCN research group analyses cellular mechanisms underlying sensorimotor integration focusing on the mammalian vibrissal active touch system. BCCN pursue research from a strictly systemic, neuroethological perspective posing a wide range of questions to understand better the systemic performance of active touch mediated by the vibrissae. Determining the role of single neurons in behaviour is a central goal of this research. This problem is addressed by stimulating single cortical neurons and testing the effect on movement, sensation and learning. This approach reverses conventional physiological research, where action potentials are studied as correlates of sensorimotor processing. This novel way of studying brain function is implemented by the development and application of new stimulation techniques in the rodent sensory and motor cortices.
