University of Pennsylvania
School of Dental Medicine
121 Anatomy Chemistry Bldg
Philadelphia, PA 19104

Office: 121 Anatomy Chemistry Bldg
Office phone: 215.573.8780
Fax: 215.746.0351
E-mail: diegoc@mail.med.upenn.edu

Research Interests
My lab's focus is on how the nervous systems encodes information. In particular, we are studying: (i) the possible role of oscillatory activity in the gamma band (20-80 Hz) for encoding visual stimuli in corticothalamic networks; (ii) the role of corticothalamic feedback. Responses to visual stimuli are recorded from cortex and thalamus with combined intracellular and optical recordings using voltage sensitive dyes and calcium indicators. These two methods are also applied to brain slices in order to understand the dynamics of visual cortex microcircuitry.

We also study the mechanisms by which neural networks engage in the abnormal, paroxystic activity that characterizes epilepsy. We are exploring: (i) the interactions between temporal cortex and hippocampus for the generation of temporal lobe epilepsy; (ii) the role of GABAB responses in cortex for the generation of various patterns of epilepsy, particularly spike-and-wave; (iii) the role of corticothalamic feedback in generation and synchronization of seizures.

Graduate Groups

• Neuroscience

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Contact: perception@psych.upenn.edu
Last modified: 5 June, 2006