Research Interests:
Our laboratory is trying to understand how single neurons and populations of neurons encode the information needed to plan and execute limb movements. Our goal is to decipher how the brain represents different movement parameters and then uses this information to control movements. We are investigating both kinematic and dynamic movement parameters, recording the activity of neurons in the cerebellum and cerebral cortex in primates during motor behaviors. A variety of movements are studied, including reaching to targets in space, tracking moving targets, the learning of new visuomotor relations, and hand movements. Using analytical and statistical techniques, we sort out how information about movement parameters is embedded in the neuronal discharge.
At a higher level of integration, we are interested in how information in the brain is represented spatially and temporally in populations of neurons. In the cerebellum we are using flavoprotein fluorescence and Ca ++ dyes to visualize neural activity. Using epifluorescence and multi-photon imaging, we are able to construct detailed spatial and temporal maps of the neuronal activity in the cerebellar cortex. One major question is to understand the spatial patterns of activity generated during behavior. We are also using optical imaging to examine the abnormalities in the cerebellar cortex in the spinocerebellar and episodic ataxias.
Selected Publications:
(For a comprehensive list of recent publications, refer to PubMed, a service provided by the National Library of Medicine.)
Barnes JA, Ebner BA, Duvick LA, Gao W, Chen G, Orr HT, Ebner TJ. Abnormalities in the climbing fiber-Purkinje cell circuitry contribute to neuronal dysfunction in ATXN1[82Q] mice. J Neurosci. 2011 Sep 7;31(36):12778-89.
Hewitt AL, Popa LS, Pasalar S, Hendrix CM, Ebner TJ. Representation of limb kinematics in Purkinje cell simple spike discharge is conserved across multiple tasks. J Neurophysiol. 2011 Nov;106(5):2232-47.
Wang X, Chen G, Gao W, Ebner TJ. Parasagittally aligned, mGluR1-dependent patches are evoked at long latencies by parallel fiber stimulation in the mouse cerebellar cortex in vivo. J Neurophysiol. 2011 Apr;105(4):1732-46.
Ebner TJ, Hewitt AL, Popa LS. What features of limb movements are encoded in the discharge of cerebellar neurons? Cerebellum. 2011 Dec;10(4):683-93.
Hendrix CM, Mason CR, Ebner TJ. Signaling of grasp dimension and grasp force in dorsal premotor cortex and primary motor cortex neurons during reach to grasp in the monkey. J Neurophysiol. 2009 Jul;102(1):132-45.
Ebner TJ, Hendrix CM, Pasalar S. Past, present, and emerging principles in the neural encoding of movement. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2009;629:127-37.
Chen G, Popa LS, Wang X, Gao W, Barnes J, Hendrix CM, Hess EJ, Ebner TJ. Low-frequency oscillations in the cerebellar cortex of the tottering mouse. J Neurophysiol. 2009 Jan;101(1):234-45.
Ebner TJ, Pasalar S. Cerebellum predicts the future motor state. Cerebellum. 2008;7(4):583-8.
Roitman AV, Pasalar S, Ebner TJ. Single trial coupling of Purkinje cell activity to speed and error signals during circular manual tracking. Exp Brain Res. 2009 Jan;192(2):241-51.
Daughters RS, Tuttle DL, Gao W, Ikeda Y, Moseley ML, Ebner TJ, Swanson MS, Ranum LP. RNA gain-of-function in spinocerebellar ataxia type 8. PLoS Genet. 2009 Aug;5(8):e1000600.
Hendrix CM, Mason CR, Ebner TJ.
Signaling of grasp dimension and grasp force in dorsal premotor cortex and primary motor cortex neurons during reach to grasp in the monkey. J Neurophysiol. 2009 Jul;102(1):132-45.
Ebner TJ, Hendrix CM, Pasalar S.
Past, present, and emerging principles in the neural encoding of movement. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2009;629:127-37.
Roitman AV, Pasalar S, Ebner TJ.
Single trial coupling of Purkinje cell activity to speed and error signals during circular manual tracking. Exp Brain Res. 2009 Jan;192(2):241-51. Epub 2008 Oct 7.PMID: 18839159
Chen G, Popa LS, Wang X, Gao W, Barnes J, Hendrix CM, Hess EJ, Ebner TJ. Low-frequency oscillations in the cerebellar cortex of the tottering mouse.
J Neurophysiol. 2009 Jan;101(1):234-45.
Current Graduate Students:
Angela Hewitt (Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).
Laurentiu Popa (Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota).
Jodi Prosise (Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota).
Former Graduate Students:
Justin Barnes (Ph.D. 2011,
Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).
Robert L. Dunbar (Ph.D.
M.A., 2002, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).
Jose Gomez (Ph.D. 2000,
Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).
Charles Hanson (Ph.D.
2001, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).
Catherine Ojakangas (Ph.D.
1992, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).
Kenneth Reinert (Ph.D.
2006, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).
Sharad J. Shanbhag (Ph.D.
1999, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).
Stephen Helms Tillery (Ph.D.
1994, Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).
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