Department Neuroscience
Principal investigator Laurens Bosman
E-mail address l.bosman@erasmusmc.nl
Website https://neuro.nl/person/Laurens-Bosman
It is in the brain, but I cannot see it. Can you?
Supervisor: Laurens Bosman, l.bosman@erasmusmc.nl
In the cerebellum, everything that happens in the brain comes together: from processing sensory input to making plans, and from muscle coordination to emotion. How can neurons of the cerebellum encode such a variety of data streams? Can you reveal hidden patterns?
Techniques
- For BEP and MEP:
- Extraction of salient features from neuronal recordings (PCA, manifold analysis, neural networks)
- Video analysis of mouse behavior
- Coding (Python or MATLAB)
- For MEP (optional):
- Mouse behavioral training
- In vivo electrophysiology in trained mice
Further reading
Multidimensional cerebellar computations for flexible kinematic control of movements
Swallow this one
Supervisor: Laurens Bosman, l.bosman@erasmusmc.nl
If you would make a list of all your amazing skills, on which place would you put swallowing? Good chance that you underestimate how important this is! In many neurodegenerative diseases, problems with swallowing are life threatening. Yet, the neurobiology of swallowing is relatively unexplored. After studying multiple behaviours related to the face, understanding swallowing will be the next challenge for our lab. Will you contribute to setting this up, in patients and mouse models?
Techniques
- EMG recordings
- Acoustic recordings
- Machine learning
Further reading
The integrated brain network that controls respiration
You will never walk alone
Supervisor: Laurens Bosman, l.bosman@erasmusmc.nl
Every step you make is like a piece of art, and requires quite some effort from your brain. This is most likely not a problem for you, but for elderly people, walking and keeping balance are getting more and more difficult. Falls and resultant bone fractions cause a major loss of quality of life. Apart from normal aging, walking is also compromised in many diseases, muscular as well as neurological. To walk, your brain needs to integrate sensory input and motor output, and this is a computationally heavy task requiring the cooperation of multiple brain regions. Will you join our lab in decoding the information processing shared by multiple brain regions?
Techniques
- BEP/MEP:
- Machine learning / pattern recognition
- MEP:
- Optional: behavioral experiments (in mice or patients)
Further reading
Different Purkinje cell pathologies cause specific patterns of progressive gait ataxia in mice