Research Emphasis
The goal of the Research Resource at the University of Rochester is to relate the neural codes
of the brain to observed behavior. The key feature of neural codes is their relatively compact timescale. The
coding of behaviors has to take place within a temporal range of 10-100 milliseconds. For this reason the Resource
is specifically aimed at studying the brain's behaviors at these timescales. This is done using high-performance
computers to simulate real-world environments in a way that allows them to be manipulated as a function of
behavior.
The world provides a vast array of information that can support a huge repertoire of potential
behaviors. To understand how the brain chooses among this array to direct natural behavior requires changing the
environment on millisecond timescales at key points with respect to an ongoing task. This cannot be done with the
physical world but now can be done with simulated worlds generated with special-purpose high-performance computers
interfaced to head-mounted visual displays and visual and kinetic monitoring equipment.
The centerpiece of the constituent laboratories is innovative instrumentation for generating
visual and kinetic stimuli in conjunction with the monitoring of behavioral state. Particular emphasis is given to
the visual, kinematic, proprioceptive, and haptic states used in sensori-motor coordination. The Resource includes
human and animal experiments as well as extensive computer simulations. The development and sharing of such
equipment in a single setting has allowed a new mode of multidisciplinary investigation whereby fundamental
questions can be pursued with the best combination of interdisciplinary experiments.