Research Seminar

Research Seminar of the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory held regulrly from 2011 gives us opportunity to share knowledge and professional experience. We invite our colleagues from different laboratories and institutions to give presentations on various issues of psychology and neuroscience.  We also discuss actual problems, results and perspectives of our own studies.

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The 1^st Research Seminar 2013: "State-of-art in psychophysiological research of Geshtalt perception on the example of Kaniza illusion"

On February 25, 2013 the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory and the MSUPE Center for Neuro-cognitive Studies (MEG Center) conducted a joint research seminar "State-of-art in psychophysiological research of Geshtalt perception on the example of Kaniza illusion".

The seminar was aimed to organize the existing psychophysiological knowledge in the field of illusory figures perception.

In the first part of the seminar trainee researcher of the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory Platon K. Pronko made a presentation highlighting Geshtalt perception studies in animals. He focused attention on experimental data concerning neuronal response to real and illusory lines and contours. Probable explanations of this data from the viewpoint of visual perception brain mechanisms were proposed. Functional role of V1, V2 and long range connections was discussed.

In the second part of the seminar junior researcher of the Cognitive Psychophysiology Laboratory Iliya M. Zaharov gave an overview of some studies of Kaniza illusion perception in human. Methodology of one of these studies was examined in detail. Provided examination raised the question of experimental settings appropriate for illusory figures perception investigation. Moreover, the problem of illusion effect manifestation on EEG recording was touched upon.

View photographs

 

14

Dec

2016

 

Nikita Novikov, Jr. Research fellow at CDM, presents a paper titled: ‘‘Gamma and Beta Bursts Underlie Working Memory” (Lundqvist et al. 2016 – Neuron) in the research seminar of Scientific-Research Group of Cognitive Pscychophysiology.

Nikita Novikov,  Jr. Research fellow at CDM, presents a paper titled: ‘‘Gamma and Beta Bursts Underlie Working Memory” (Lundqvist et al.  2016 – Neuron). 

 Abstract: Working memory is thought to result from sustained neuron spiking. However, computational models suggest complex dynamics with discrete oscillatory bursts. We analyzed local field potential (LFP) and spiking from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of monkeys performing a working memory task. There were brief bursts of narrow-band gamma oscillations (45–100 Hz), varied in time and frequency, accompanying encoding and re-activation of sensory information. They appeared at a minority of recording sites associated with spiking reflecting the to-be-remembered items. Beta oscillations (20–35 Hz) also occurred in brief, variable bursts but reflected a default state interrupted by encoding and decoding. Only activity of neurons reflecting encoding/decoding correlated with changes in gamma burst rate. Thus, gamma bursts could gate access to, and prevent sensory interference with, working memory. This supports the hypothesis that working memory is manifested by discrete oscillatory dynamics and spiking, not sustained activity.

Please find below the abstract (paper + supplementary material attached).

 When : 15-12.-2016 – from 10.05 to 11.00 am

 Where: auditorium 210a – Volgogradsky prospekt 46B 

 lundqvist2016 (PDF, 3.26 Мб)