An institute for interfacing basic and clinical research on the normal and the pathological brain function.

The Mediterranean Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience (INCM) is a research unit operated by the CNRS and the Université de la Méditerranée. It was created in January 2004 on a research programme centred on higher brain functions in human and non-human primate.

Our main mission is to investigate the neuronal bases of perception, cognition and action with a multi-level approach ranging from single neurons to neuronal populations and networks, and in different models (non human primates, healthy humans and patients). Our research strategy is to tackle fundamental basic research issues in close relation with major brain pathologies (Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Schizophrenia, Autism ?).

The Institute's scientific programme stands on five major milestones:

1. The concept of dynamic, context-dependent neural processing,
2. Inter-disciplinary research,
3. A unique group of researchers working with non human primates,
4. Strong cross-links between clinical and basic research, and
5. State-of-the-art technological tools, such as a 3T fMRI plate form, Optical Imaging setup for behaving primates, Multi-electrode recordings, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, MEG/EEG ?).

Driss Boussaoud

Selected recent publications

• Hamaguchi, K; Riehle, A; Brunel, N (2010 in press), «Estimating network parameters from combined dynamics of firing rate and irregularity of single neurons», Journal of Neurophysiology,
• Kilavik,B.E.; Confais,J.; Ponce-Alvarez, A.; Diesmann, M.; Riehle, A. (2010 in press), «Evoked potentials in motor cortical LFPs reflect task timing and behavioral performance», Journal of Neurophysiology,
• Ponce-Alvarez, A; Kilavik, BE; Riehle, A (2010), «Comparison of local measures of spike time irregularity and relating variability to firing rate in motor cortical neurons», Journal of Computational Neuroscience, 29: 351-365
• Perrinet L. (2010), «Role of homeostasis in learning sparse representations», Neural Computation, in press
• Guerrasio, L; Quinet, J; Büttner, U; Goffart, L (2010), «The fastigial oculomotor region and the control of foveation during fixation», Journal of Neurophysiology , in press
• Kilavik,B.E.; Riehle, A. (2010), «Timing structures neuronal activity during preparation for action», In: K. Nobre, J. Coull (eds), Attention and Time, Oxford University Press: New York, pp. 257-271,
• Denker, M.; Riehle, A.; Diesmann, M.; Grün, S. (2010), «Estimating the contribution of assembly activity to cortical dynamics from spike and population measures», J Comput Neurosci, in press
• Denker, M.; Roux, S.; Lindén, H.; Diesmann, M.; Riehle, A.; Grün, S. (2010), «The local field potential reflects surplus spike synchrony», link at: arXiv:1005.0361v1,
• Riehle, A., Roux, S., Kilavik, B.E.; Grün, S. (2010), «Dynamics of motor cortical networks: the complementarity of spike synchrony and firing rate», In: Danion F, Latash ML (eds), Motor Control: Theories, experiments, and applications, Oxford University Press: New York, in press
• Vanzetta, I; Slovin, H (2010), «A BOLD Assumption», Frontiers in Neuroenergetics, 2. pii: 24
• Tlapale E, Masson GS, Kornprobst P (2010), «Modelling the dynamics of motion integration with a new luminance-gated diffusion mechanism», Vision Research, 50: 1676-1692
• Kremkow J, Perrinet LU, Masson GS, Aertsen A (2010), «Functional consequences of correlated excitatory and inhibitory conductances», Journal of Computational Neurosciences, 28: 579-594
• Barthélemy FV, Fleuriet J, Masson GS (2010), «Temporal dynamics of 2D motion integration for ocular following in macaque monkeys», Journal of Neurophysiology, 103: 1275-1282
• Vanzetta, I; Flynn, C; Ivanov, AI; Bernard, C; Bénar, CG (2010), «Investigation of linear coupling between single-event blood flow responses and interictal discharges in a model of experimental epilepsy», J Neurophysiology, 103: 3139-3152
• Reynaud, A; Takerkart, S; Masson, GS; Chavane, F (2010), «Linear model decomposition for voltage-sensitive dye imaging signals : application in awake behaving monkey», NeuroImage , (in press)
• Rickert,J; Riehle, A; Aertsen, A; Rotter, S;Nawrot, MP (2009), «Dynamic encoding of movement direction in motor cortical neurons», Journal of Neuroscience, 29: 13870-13882
• Kilavik, BE; Roux,S;Ponce-Alvarez, A;Confais,J;Grün,S;Riehle, A (2009), «Long-term modifications in motor cortical dynamics induced by intensive practice», Journal of Neuroscience, 29: 12653-12663
• Quinet, J; Goffart, L (2009), «Electrical microstimulation of the fastigial oculomotor region in the head unrestrained monkey», Journal of Neurophysiology , 102: 320-336, 2009.
• Hafed, Z.M; Goffart, L; Krauzlis, R.J (2009), «A neural mechanism for microsaccade generation in the primate superior colliculus», Science, 323: 940-943
• Escobar MJ, Masson GS, Vieville T, Kornprobst P (2009), «Action recognition using a bio-inspired feedforward spiking network», International Journal of Computer Vision, 82: 284-301
• Longcamp, M; Boucard, C; Gilhodes, J.C; Nazarian, B; Anton, J.L; Roth, M; Velay, J.L (2008), «Learning through hand- or type-writing influences visual recognition of new graphic shapes: behavioral and functional imaging evidences», Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 20(5) 802-15
• De Graaf, J; Frolov, A; Fiocchi, M; Nazarian, B; Anton, J.L; Pailhous, J; Bonnard, M (2008), «Preparing for a motor perturbation : early implication of primary motor and somatosensory cortices.», Human Brain Mapping, in press
• Brovelli, A; Laksiri, N; Nazarian, B; Meunier, M; Boussaoud, D (2008), «Understanding the neural computations of arbitrary visuomotor learning through fMRI and associative learning theory », Cereb Cortex, 18(7):1485-95
• Barthélemy, F; Perrinet, LU;Castet, E; Masson, GS (2008), «Dynamics of distributed 1D and 2D motion representations for short-latency ocular following», Vision Research, 48(4):501-22
• Schön, D; Boyer, M; Moreno, S; Besson, M; Peretz, I; Kolinsky, R (2008), «Songs as an aid for language acquisition», Cognition , 975–983