UCSD

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

• Home
• Publications
• Group
• Teaching
• Software
• Lab

---

Goal-driven selective attention in thalamocortical networks: a control-theoretic perspective
M. McCreesh, E. Nozari, J. Cortés
Annual Reviews in Control, submitted

Abstract

Goal-driven selective attention (GDSA) is a phenomenon that allows the brain to identify, separate, and process relevant and irrelevant information for use in various brain functions such as sensory processing, perception, and memory. Many of the functions relying on GDSA involve networks connecting the thalamus with the cerebral cortex in different topological configurations. This work investigates the thalamocortical network principles underlying GDSA using a control-theoretic approach. Modeling brain dynamics with a linear-threshold firing rate model, our approach allows for a detailed treatment of the hierarchical nature of the brain using tools from singular perturbation theory and switched systems. We illustrate, in particular, how the two components of GDSA, namely, selective recruitment and inhibition, can be achieved in multiple network topologies and discuss the similarities and differences thereof.

pdf

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, California, 92093-0411

Ph: 1-858-822-7930
Fax: 1-858-822-3107

cortes at ucsd.edu
Skype id: jorgilliyo