Ian Oldenburg, Ph.D.

Research

The Oldenburg Lab is interested in understanding the rules that govern how neuronal activity produces movement. Even simple actions, like reaching for a cup of coffee, involve the coordinated activation of vast populations of neurons. But which features of these patterns carry the instructions that ultimately direct movement? Is it the identity of the participating cells that is most important? Or is critical information encoded in how rapidly each cell “fires” or how precisely the neurons synchronize their activity with other neurons? As a postdoctoral fellow and in my independent lab, I developed methods that allow us not only to monitor the activity of neural ensembles as an animal moves but also to “rewrite” the resulting patterns by adjusting the activity of selected neurons. Using this approach, we have already discovered that we can induce movement in mice by controlling the activity of just a few dozen neurons. Now, combining this method with other cutting-edge techniques in neurophysiology, my group will assess the relative importance of cell identity, activity rates, and synchronicity in planning and executing motor behavior. Our work addresses fundamental principles of neural activity and could lead to new designs for prosthetics or novel therapeutics for neurological disorders.