Research

The research focuses on the adaptivity of the nervous system ranging from the level of single synapses to the level of cognitive processes. The brain's capability of allocating resources adaptively, i.e. flexibly and adequately, is one of the reasons why neuronal information processing is extremely swift and accurate. Research mainly addresses the dynamics of neural adaptivity starting out from adaptation phenomena occurring at four different levels of organization:

1) Synaptic Dynamics and Information Processing
focusses on the dynamics and adaptation of synaptic interactions and their effect on perception and the performance of biological neural networks.

2) Network-Level Adaptation
explores and models key adaptive processes occurring on the network level in experimentally highly accessible preparations, e.g. the vertebrate olfactory bulb and respiratory control networks in the brainstem.

3) Cognitive Adaptation
investigates adaptive neural processing mechanisms starting on the cognitive level, e.g. from phenomena such as dynamic resource allocation in visual attention and determines their neural correlate in the dynamics of neural networks.

4) Motor Adaptation and Neuroprosthetics
investigates adaptive processes in motor learning. Based on this line of research adaptive controllers for prosthetic limbs and data analysis methods for neuroprostheses are studied, evaluated, and prototyped