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Department of Physiology McGill University McIntyre Medical Sciences Building Room 1225 3655 Promenade Sir William Osler Montréal, Québec H3G 1Y6 (514) 398-7691 erik.cook [at] mcgill.ca Postdoc position available |
Research Area: Neurophysiology
Research Description:
My lab focuses on how neuronal activity underlies conscious visual perception. We are working to decipher the neural code, the rules neurons use to encode behaviorally relevant information in their electrical activity. The lab uses a combination of electrophysiological, behavioral, and computational techniques. We measure cortical responses during visually-guided tasks and construct quantitative models that link neuronal activity to perception. Our systems level approach is essential for understanding the biological mechanisms of higher brain function.
Education: B.Sc.E.E., Arizona State University, M.E.E., Rice University, Ph.D., Baylor College of Medicine
Recent Publications:
Masse, N.Y. and Cook, E.P. The Effect of Middle Temporal Spike Phase on Sensory Encoding and Correlates with Behavior during a Motion- Detection Task J. Neurosci. 28(6): 1343-1355, 2008.
Cook EP, Guest JA, Liang Y, Masse NY, Colbert CM. Dendrite-to-Soma Input/Output Function of Continuous Time-Varying Signals in Hippocampal CA1 Pyramidal Neurons J. Neurophysiol 98: 2943-2955, 2007.
Cook, E.P. and Maunsell, J.H.R. Attentional modulation of motion integration of individual neurons in the middle temporal visual area (MT). J. Neurosci. 24: 7964-7977, 2004.
Cook, E.P. and Maunsell, J.H.R. Dynamics of neuronal responses in Macaque MT and VIP during motion detection. Nature Neurosci. 5: 985-994, 2002.
Maunsell, J.H.R. and Cook, E.P. The role of attention in visual processing. Phil. Trans. Royal Soc. B. 357:1063-1072, 2002.
Cook, E.P. and Maunsell, J.H.R. Attentional modulation of behavioral performance and neuronal responses in Middle Temporal and Ventral Intraparietal areas of Macaque monkey. J. Neurosci. 22: 1994-2004, 2002.