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New Directions Program

New Directions Short Course:

Mathematical Neuroscience

June 16 - 27, 2008

Instructors:
G. Bard Ermentrout Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh
Jonathan E. Rubin Mathematics, University of Pittsburgh

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Abstracts and Talk Materials Dining Guide

From June 16-27, 2008 the IMA will host an intensive short course designed to efficiently provide researchers in the mathematical sciences and related disciplines the basic knowledge prerequisite to undertake research in mathematical neuroscience. The course will be taught by G. Bard Ermentrout, Professor of Computational Biology and Mathematics at the University of Pittsburgh and Jonathan E. Rubin, Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Pittsburgh. The primary audience for the course is mathematics faculty. No prior background in mathematical neuroscience is expected. Participants will receive full travel and lodging support during the workshop.

Description:

Neuroscience is becoming increasingly quantitative and the need for theoreticians interested in collaborating with experimental neuroscientists will only increase in the coming years. In addition to a need for modeling, the kinds of problems which arise in neuroscience applications are mathematically interesting in their own right. For example, much of the theory behind Evans functions was developed in order to study stability of solutions to PDEs arising in the propagation of nerve impulses.

The proposed short course will introduce the participants to basic concepts in cellular and systems neuroscience with an emphasis on the underlying equations and dynamics. Topics will include spatial propagation in single cells, the role of noise, synchronization of oscillatory behavior, network dynamics, and reduction/averaging methods. The toolbox includes singular perturbation, dynamical systems, simulations, and stochastic methods.

Application procedure. The IMA New Directions Short Courses will be limited to 25 participants selected by application. All successful applicants will be funded for travel and local expenses. Please see the IMA reimbursement policy for details about airfare.

Preliminary Schedule

Week 1: Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday | 
Week 2: Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | 
  Monday, June 16
8:30a-8:45a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
8:45a-9:00a Welcome and introduction Douglas N. Arnold (University of Minnesota) Lind Hall 409
9:00a-10:30a Introduction to the nervous system and overview G. Bard Ermentrout (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
10:30a-11:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
11:00a-12:30p Introduction to the nervous system and overview Jonathan E. Rubin (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
12:30p-2:00p Lunch    
2:00p-3:30p Self-introductions by the participants   Lind Hall 409
3:30p-3:45p Group Photo   Lind Hall 400
3:45p-4:45p Reception   Lind Hall 400
  Tuesday, June 17
8:30a-9:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
9:00a-10:30a Firing rate models and introduction to vision G. Bard Ermentrout (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
10:30a-11:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
11:00a-12:30p Firing rate models and introduction to vision Jonathan E. Rubin (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
12:30p-2:00p Lunch    
2:00p-3:30p Pattern formation in the visual system Paul Bressloff (University of Utah) Lind Hall 409
  Wednesday, June 18
8:30a-9:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
9:00a-10:30a Experimentalists' perspective–what can we measure? Theoden Netoff (University of Minnesota) Lind Hall 409
10:30a-11:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
11:00a-12:30p Biophysics of channels, cables, membranes; Hodgkin-Huxley theory G. Bard Ermentrout (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
12:30p-2:00p Lunch    
2:00p-3:30p Biophysics of channels, cables, membranes; Hodgkin-Huxley theory Jonathan E. Rubin (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
6:30p-8:30p Group dinner    
  Thursday, June 19
8:30a-9:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
9:00a-10:30a Dynamics of membranes, singular perturbation, bursting, synapses G. Bard Ermentrout (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
10:30a-11:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
11:00a-12:30p Dynamics of membranes, singular perturbation, bursting, synapses G. Bard Ermentrout (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
12:30p-2:00p Lunch    
2:00p-3:00p Dynamics of membranes, singular perturbation, bursting, synapses Jonathan E. Rubin (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
3:00p-3:30p Coffee   Lind Hall 400
3:30p-4:30p Dynamics of membranes, singular perturbation, bursting, synapses Jonathan E. Rubin (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
  Friday, June 20
8:30a-9:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
9:00a-10:30a Attractor networks G. Bard Ermentrout (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
10:30a-11:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
11:00a-12:30p Attractor networks Jonathan E. Rubin (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
12:30p-2:00p Lunch    
2:00p-3:30p Hippocampus, navigation, direction cells A. David Redish (University of Minnesota) Lind Hall 409
3:00p-3:30p Coffee   Lind Hall 400
  Saturday, June 21
No lecture scheduled.
  Sunday, June 22
No lecture scheduled.
  Monday, June 23
8:30a-9:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
9:00a-10:30a Phase resetting, weak coupling G. Bard Ermentrout (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
10:30a-11:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
11:00a-12:30p Phase resetting, weak coupling G. Bard Ermentrout (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
12:30p-2:00p Lunch    
2:00p-3:00p Cortical rhythms Christoph Borgers (Tufts University) Lind Hall 409
3:30p-4:30p Cortical Rhythms Christoph Borgers (Tufts University) Lind Hall 409
  Tuesday, June 24
8:30a-9:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
9:00a-10:30a Noise correlations Brent Doiron (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
10:30a-11:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
11:00a-12:30p Noise correlations Brent Doiron (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
12:30p-2:00p Lunch    
2:00p-3:00p Information theory/population coding Duane Nykamp (University of Minnesota) Lind Hall 409
3:00p-3:30p Coffee   Lind Hall 400
3:30p-4:30p Information theory/population coding Duane Nykamp (University of Minnesota) Lind Hall 409
  Wednesday, June 25
8:30a-9:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
9:00a-10:30a Plasticity, dendrites Jonathan E. Rubin (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
10:30a-11:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
11:00a-12:30p Plasticity, dendrites Jonathan E. Rubin (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
12:30p-2:00p Lunch    
2:00p-3:00p Inverse problems Steven J. Cox (Rice University) Lind Hall 409
3:00p-3:30p Coffee   Lind Hall 400
3:30p-4:30p Inverse problems Steven J. Cox (Rice University) Lind Hall 409
6:30p-8:30p Group dinner    
  Thursday, June 26
8:30a-9:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
9:00a-10:30a Waves, Evans functions, spatial models G. Bard Ermentrout (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
10:30a-11:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
11:00a-12:30p Waves, Evans functions, spatial models G. Bard Ermentrout (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
12:30p-2:00p Lunch    
2:00p-3:00p Waves, Evans functions, spatial models Jonathan E. Rubin (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
3:00p-3:30p Coffee   Lind Hall 400
3:30p-4:30p Waves, Evans functions, spatial models Jonathan E. Rubin (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
  Friday, June 27
8:30a-9:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
9:00a-10:30a Development, pattern formation G. Bard Ermentrout (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
10:30a-11:00a Coffee   Lind Hall 400
11:00a-12:30p Development, pattern formation Jonathan E. Rubin (University of Pittsburgh) Lind Hall 409
12:30p-2:00p Lunch    
2:00p-3:30p Concluding session   Lind Hall 409