The Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition
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-Sean McGuire
CNBC Web Site Administrator
- Current Research at the CNBC
- Focus of the Center
- Positions available (including faculty and postdoc)
- Contacts
- Seed-money Available
- Members of the CNBC
The Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition (CNBC) is a
joint project of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of
Pittsburgh. The Center was initiated by a major gift from the
R. K. Mellon Foundation, and builds on several existing collaborations
between the two Universities, including the NIMH Center for the
Neuroscience of Mental Disorders, the NSF Research Training Program in
Neural Processes in Cognition, the Pittburgh NMR Center for Biomedical
Research, and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. This document
provides a brief introduction to the Center.
Created in 1994, the Center is dedicated to the study of the neural
basis of cognitive processes, including learning and memory, language
and thought, perception, attention, and planning. Studies of the
neural basis of normal adult cognition, cognitive development, and
disorders of cognition all fall within the purview of the Center. In
addition, the Center promotes the application of the results of the
study of the neural basis of cognition to artificial intelligence,
technology, and medicine. The Center will synthesize the disciplines
of basic and clinical neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and computer
science, combining neurobiological, behavioral, computational and
brain imaging methods.
The following is a partial list of current research projects by
members of the Center.
- Reading and the acquisition of reading ability; acquired
reading disorders resulting from brain damage.
- Role of the hippocampal system in learning and memory.
- Frontal lobe function in cognition, including disturbances in
disorders such as schizophrenia.
- Role of neuromodulators in regulation of emotion and
cognition.
- Spatial cognition as revealed through behavioral,
physiological and computational studies of maze and free-field
behavior in small mammals.
- Perceptual mechanisms including visual and somatosensory
systems in humans and animals.
- Relation between brain development and development of
cognitive functions, including attention, perception, and language.
- Working memory, including development of working memory and
the effects of brain damage on working memory functions.
Facilities available in the community include state of the art NMR and
PET facilities that can be used for functional imaging studies in
humans and animals, and vast computational resources including those
of the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. The Center will ultimately
have its own space and facilities, but these are currently in the
planning stages.
The Center consists of faculty and research scientists whose work
relates to the mission stated above. All such faculty have
appointments in one or more coordinating departments. These include
the Departments of Biological Sciences, Computer Science, and
Psychology at Carnegie Mellon, and the Departments of Information
Science, Mathematics, Neurobiology, Neurology, Neuroscience,
Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. This list
is likely to grow as the Center develops.
- Increasing the critical mass of researchers working on the neural
basis of cognition through the hiring of new faculty. The hiring of
new faculty will be coordinated through existing departments, and
specific searches will be announced as they are initiated.
- Fostering interdisciplinary research in the neural basis of
cognition through the support of collaborative research projects that
link researchers across the two participating universities.
- Graduate and post-doctoral training programs that are currently
co-extensive with the NPC training
program. Interested applicants should consult the NPC
Training Program description for full details on the program and the
application process.
Other Information
The Center is led by a planning group, consisting of two co-directors
and representatives of several of the departments listed above. The
Center's co-directors are:
James L. McClelland
Department of Psychology
Baker Hall 345-F
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
mcclelland+@cmu.edu
Robert Y. Moore
Center for Neuroscience
Biomedical Science Tower 1656
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
moore@bns.pitt.edu
Either of these individuals may be contacted for more information.
Go to CNBC/NPC Home page
Please note that this CNBC World Wide Web tree is under construction.
We regret any inconvenience for links that are not available yet. We have
attempted to ensure that all information is correct, but we cannot
guarantee it. Please send comments and corrections to:
A. David Redish
Carnegie Mellon University
dredish+@cs.cmu.edu