Scientific Focus
Key Words
Development, structure and functional organization of the cerebral cortex
Mechanisms of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity
Neuronal correlates of cognitive functions
The Department of Neurophysiology concentrates on the analysis of neuronal mechanisms underlying higher cognitive functions, in particular visual perception, attentional mechanisms, and short-term memory. Particular emphasis is led on the question how the numerous parallel computations occurring simultaneously in the cerebral cortex are bound together in order to assure coherence of cognition. The methods comprise measurements of neuronal activity in animals and human subjects in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging. Close collaborations exist with the newly founded Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies in the domain of computational neuroscience and with the Clinic for Psychiatry of Frankfurt University in the domain of schizophrenia research.
Methods
Selected Publications
Fries, P., D. Nikolic, and W. Singer (2007) The gamma cycle. Trends Neurosci. 30(7): 309-316
Melloni, L., C. Molina, M. Pena, D. Torres, W. Singer, and E. Rodriguez (2007) Synchronization of neural activity across cortical areas correlates with conscious perception. J. Neurosci. 27(11): 2858-2865
Singer, W. (2007) Large-scale temporal coordination of cortical activity as a prerequisite for conscious experience. In The Blackwell Companion to Consciousness, Ed. By Max Velmans and Susan Schneider, Oxford, pp. 605-615
Uhlhaas, P. J., and W. Singer (2007) What do disturbances in neural synchrony tell us about autism? Biological Psychiatry 62(3): 190-191
Weigelt, S., Z. Kourtzi, A. Kohler, W. Singer, and L. Muckli (2007) The cortical representation of objects rotating in depth. J. Neurosci. 27(14): 3864-3874
Womelsdorf, T., J.-M. Schoffelen, R. Oostenveld, W. Singer, R. Desimone, A. K. Engel, and P. Fries (2007) Modulation of neuronal interactions through neuronal synchronization. Science 316: 1609-1612
Biederlack, J., M. Castelo-Branco, S. Neuenschwander, D. W. Wheeler, W. Singer, and D. Nikolic (2006) Brightness induction: Rate enhancement and neuronal synchronization as complementary codes. Neuron 52: 1073-1083
Fukuda, T. Kosaka, W. Singer, and R.A.W. Galuske (2006) Gap junctions among dendrites of cortical GABAergic neurons establish a dense and widespread intercolumnar network. J. Neurosci. 26(13): 3434-3443
Uhlhaas, P.J., D.E.J. Linden, W. Singer, C. Haenschel, M. Lindner, K. Maurer, and E. Rodriguez (2006) Dysfunctional long-range coordination of neural activity during Gestalt perception in schizophrenia. J. Neurosci. 26(31): 8168-8175
Uhlhaas, P.J., and W. Singer (2006) Neural synchrony in brain disorders: Relevance for cognitive dysfunctions and pathophysiology. Neuron 52: 155-168
Muckli, L., A. Kohler, N. Kriegeskorte, and W. Singer (2005) Primary visual cortex activity along the apparent-motion trace reflects illusory perception. PloS Biology 2005 Jul. 19; 3(8):e265, 1-10
Niessing, J., B. Ebisch, K.E. Schmidt, M. Niessing, W. Singer, and R.A.W. Galuske (2005) Hemodynamic signals correlate tightly with synchronized gamma oscillations. Science 309: 948-951
Wespatat, V., F. Tennigkeit, and W. Singer (2004) Phase sensitivity of synaptic modifications in oscillating cells of rat visual cortex. J. Neurosci. 24(41): 9067-9075
Engel, A.K., and W. Singer (2001) Temporal binding and the neural correlates of sensory awareness. Trends in Cogn. Sci. 5(1): 16-25
Fries, P., S. Neuenschwander, A.K. Engel, R. Goebel, and W. Singer (2001) Rapid feature selective neuronal synchronization through correlated latency shifting. Nature Neurosci. 4(2): 194-200
Castelo-Branco, M., R. Goebel, S. Neuenschwander, and W. Singer (2000) Neural synchrony correlates with surface segregation rules. Nature 405: 685-689
Galuske, R.A.W., W. Schlote, H. Bratzke, and W. Singer (2000) Interhemispheric asymmetries of the modular structure in human temporal cortex. Science 289: 1946-1949
Singer, W. (1999) Neuronal synchrony: a versatile code for the definition of relations? Neuron 24: 49-65
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