Knight, Robert
<p>May 20, 2009 8:25 PM  BOB KNIGHT   wow!  (total upside surprise)
 
See his talk today at Stanford...  STUNNING tour d'force.
 
Totally credible;  really knows his neurology and his neuroscience...  better than anyone I've har so far.
He's the best!  This talk was a tour of the work at Helen Wills... incredible.
 
The work on ECoG was the best  electrocorticogram... stunning!
 
The laboratory studies the <b>contribution of prefrontal cortex</b> to human behavior. We use electrophysiological, fMRI and behavioral techniques to study controls and neurological patients with frontal lobe damage in an effort to understand the neural mechanisms subserving cognitive processing in humans. The laboratory also <b>records the electrocorticogram directly from the cortical surface in neurosurgical patients with implanted electrodes t</b>o study the electrophysiology of network activity supporting goal-directed behavior in humans. The laboratory uses this information to develop <b>brain machine interfaces for motor and language prosthetic devices.</b>
 
Damage to prefrontal cortex in humans from neurological or developmental disorders results in profound alterations in the ability to think, plan and interact in a socially appropriate manner.
 
The laboratory is interested in the neural mechanisms by which frontal cortex controls distributed neuronal ensembles in other brain regions critical for both cognitive and social behavior.  (REcall the swirls...  non-linear oscillating systems coupling.)
 
The laboratory also records the<b> electrocorticogram (ECoG) from neurosurgical patients </b>during both acute intra-operative surgical procedures and in epileptic patients with subdural electrodes implanted for an extended period.
 
Some broad areas under current investigation include: What is the <b>timing and neural coding of interactions between prefrontal </b>cortex and other brain regions engaged during attention and memory performance? What is the <b>role of ultra-high cortical gamma oscillations and distributed network coherence in human behavior</b>? Can ultra high gamma oscillations recorded from the human cortex be used to control robotic devices for paralyzed patients? (YES)
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