Bruce Graham's Research Page

The Computational Capabilities of Nervous Systems

My research concerns understanding the information processing capabilities of biological nervous systems and how they may provide high-level cognitive function. As computers become more powerful, and experimental knowledge of the nervous system grows, the opportunity to formulate and then to simulate theories of nervous system operation increases. This approach can be used to test how theories of cognitive function may be implemented by a biological nervous system. It can also lead from a better understanding of the computational capabilities of the nervous system to new theories of cognitive function. My work covers nervous system modelling at many levels - from just a part of a single neuron, to networks of neurons.

Current projects  [top]

1. Resource and energy usage in a neural system
2. Cortical dynamics and associative memory
3. Short term plasticity of synaptic transmission
4. Dynamics of the vestibulo-ocular reflex

Recent work  [top]

1. Development of neuronal morphology
2. Pattern recognition by pyramidal cells
3. Biological implementations of associative memory
4. Action potential propagation along branching axons

Past efforts  [top]

1. Computer simulation of presynaptic inhibition
2. Dynamic models of the muscle stretch reflex
3. Adaptive model-based fuzzy control

Much of the formative work for my research programme was carried out while I was a research fellow, from 1993 to 2000, in the Institute for Adaptive and Neural Computation at the University of Edinburgh, with funding being provided by an MRC programme grant to Prof. David Willshaw.

My initial work in computational neuroscience was carried out in the laboratory of Prof. Stephen Redman in the Division of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, from 1990 to 1993, while I was a postdoctoral fellow of the Centre for Information Science Research.