Information Processing in Sensory Systems

Please note: Words in italics are the official PIBS affiliations of the indicated faculty.

Roger Albin, MD Structure, function, and pathology of the basal ganglia. Neuroscience.

J. Wayne Aldridge, Ph.D. Neuronal activity in basal ganglia and motor cortex in movement. Neuroscience.

Richard A. Altschuler, Ph.D. Neurobiology; auditory neurotransmitters and pathways and structural basis of cochlea function; plasticity in the auditory brain stem. Cell & Developmental Biology. Neuroscience.

Sanford Bledsoe, Ph.D. Neuropharmacology and neurochemistry of peripheral and central auditory systems. Otolaryngology. Sensory Neurobiology. Kresge Hearing Research Institute. Neuroscience.

Robert M. Bradley, Ph.D. Neurophysiology of the taste system; mechanisms of sensory processing in the gustatory system. Molecular & Integrative Physiology.

Thomas Carey, Ph.D. Genetic mechanisms in head and neck cancer progression; genetic mechanisms affecting response to therapy; and mechanisms of autoimmune hearing loss mediated by antibodies to inner ear antigens. Cellular & Molecular Biology. Pharmacology.

Jonathan Demb, Ph.D. Cellular mechanisms of visual adaptation in the mammalian retina. Patch-clamp electrophysiology of retinal neurons stimulated by light, in vitro. Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology

R. Keith Duncan, Ph.D. Early stages of signal processing in the auditory periphery, particularly in the context of hair cell physiology. Neuroscience
http://www.khri.med.umich.edu/research/duncan_lab/index.php

W. Michael King, Ph.D. Motor learning and signal processing in the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), binocular coordination and eye movement control, single cell recording. Neuroscience.

Theresa M. Lee, Ph.D. Study the photic and non-photic signals that entrain circadian and seasonal rhythms and the role of gonadal hormones in the development and adult manifestation of those rhythms. Neuroscience.

Israel Liberzon, MD Functional neuroanatomy of emotions and neuroendocrinology of stress response in traumatized individuals and in animal models. Neuroscience.

Stephen Maren, Ph.D. Neurobiological basis of emotional learning and memory. Neuroscience.

John Middlebrooks, Ph.D. Psychophysical and cortical physiological studies of directional hearing. Physiological stimulus of cochlear prosthesis. Neuroscience.

Alexander J. Ninfa, Ph.D. Reconstitution of signal transduction systems from purified components, structure/function analysis of signal transduction enzymes, protein crystallography. Characterization of protein kinases, phosphatases, and nucleotidy/transferases involved in signal transduction. Organization of the gene cascade controlling nitrogen assimilation in bacteria. Development of synthetic systems that perform useful functions. Biological Chemistry. Microbiology & Immunology.

Bryan Pfingst, Ph.D. Perception and processing of auditory information. Neuroscience.

Thad Polk, Ph.D. Cognitive neuroscience; functional neuroimaging; computational modeling; environmental influences on cognitive architecture; reading; reasoning; unified theories of cognition. Neuroscience.

Jochen H. Schacht, Ph.D. Neurochemistry; biochemical mechanisms of hearing processes and drug-induced hearing loss. Biological Chemistry. Neuroscience.
http://www.khri.med.umich.edu/research/schacht_lab/

Robert Thompson, Ph.D. Mechanisms of antidepressant action and nutritional regulation of reproductive functions (regulation of gene expression; molecular biology, neuroendocrinology and anatomy). Neuroscience. Psychiatry.

Jianzhi Zhang, Ph.D. Molecular and genomic evolution, with both experimental and computational approaches. Bioinformatics.