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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.)

Reinert KC, Gao W, Chen G, Ebner TJ. Flavoprotein autofluorescence imaging in the cerebellar cortex in vivo. J Neurosci Res. 2007 Nov 15;85(15):3221-32.

Pasalar S, Roitman AV, Durfee WK, Ebner TJ. Force field effects on cerebellar Purkinje cell discharge with implications for internal models. Nat Neurosci. 2006 Nov;9(11):1404-11.

Gao W, Chen G, Reinert KC, Ebner TJ. Cerebellar cortical molecular layer inhibition is organized in parasagittal zones. J Neurosci. 2006 Aug 9;26(32):8377-87.

Moseley ML, Zu T, Ikeda Y, Gao W, Mosemiller AK, Daughters RS, Chen G, Weatherspoon MR, Clark HB, Ebner TJ, Day JW, Ranum LP. Bidirectional expression of CUG and CAG expansion transcripts and intranuclear polyglutamine inclusions in spinocerebellar ataxia type 8. Nat Genet. 2006 Jul;38(7):758-69.

Theverapperuma LS, Hendrix CM, Mason CR, Ebner TJ. Finger movements during reach-to-grasp in the monkey: amplitude scaling of a temporal synergy. Exp Brain Res. 2006 Mar;169(4):433-48.

Mason CR, Hendrix CM, Ebner TJ. Purkinje cells signal hand shape and grasp force during reach-to-grasp in the monkey. J Neurophysiol. 2006 Jan;95(1):144-58.

Roitman AV, Pasalar S, Johnson MT, Ebner TJ. Position, direction of movement, and speed tuning of cerebellar Purkinje cells during circular manual tracking in monkey. J Neurosci. 2005 Oct 5;25(40):9244-57.

Chen G, Gao W, Reinert KC, Popa LS, Hendrix CM, Ross ME, Ebner TJ. Involvement of kv1 potassium channels in spreading acidification and depression in the cerebellar cortex. J Neurophysiol. 2005 Aug;94(2):1287-98.

Pasalar S, Roitman AV, Ebner TJ. Effects of speeds and force fields on submovements during circular manual tracking in humans. Exp Brain Res. 2005 May;163(2):214-25.

Ebner TJ, Chen G, Gao W, Reinert K. Optical imaging of cerebellar functional architectures: parallel fiber beams, parasagittal bands and spreading acidification. Prog Brain Res. 2005;148:125-38.

Current Graduate Students:

Angela Hewitt (Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Justin Barnes (Neuroscience, University of Minnesota).

Laurentiu Popa (Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota).

Jodi Prosise (Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota).

Former Graduate Students:

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).