The nervous system is known to exhibit synchronous rhythms over a wide range of frequencies. The implication is that this activity plays a functional role in behavior and cognition. Often these rhythms are highly complex, displaying strongly intermittent characteristics. Experiments to test the significance of synchrony and partial synchrony are difficult because they involve large numbers of neurons and ways to manipulate the rhythms are limited. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms responsible for synchronized states is necessary to probe behavioral and cognitive questions. Theoretical knowledge of how the rhythms can be switched on and off, what controls the frequency, synchrony, and temporal stability may provide tools for manipulating rhythms in vivo and better assess their functional significance. This proposal aims to understand synchrony and partial synchrony by using mathematical and theoretical methods in conjunction with numerical simulations. The experiments and simulations will guide the development of reduced models that are tenable to analysis. This application will form the foundation of a career development program for the candidate to become established in the area of theoretical and computational neuroscience.
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