Professor Ehsan Arabzadeh
Areas of expertise
- Neurosciences 1109
Research interests
We study sensory processing at the level of single cells and neuronal populations. Rodents are flexible animal models that allow the investigation of neural circuits underlying sensory processing and behaviour. Our research at the Neural Coding Group focuses on the rat whisker-barrel pathway as a model system with well-characterised circuitary and high functional efficiency. We use electrophysiological and optical techniques to observe neuronal activity in anaesthetised as well as awake behaving animals, and apply mathematical methods to quantify the way by which single neurons or neuronal ensembles code for sensory stimuli or for the animal's behaviour.
See our research group for more details:
http://jcsmr.anu.edu.au/research/eccles-institute-neuroscience/arabzadeh-group
Publications
- Sabri, M & Arabzadeh, E 2018, 'Information processing across behavioral states: Modes of operation and population dynamics in rodent sensory cortex', Neuroscience, vol. 368, pp. 214-228.
- Tang, M, Smout, C, Arabzadeh, E et al. 2018, 'Prediction error and repetition suppression have distinct effects on neural representations of visual information', eLife, vol. 7, pp. 1-21.
- Gharaei, S, Arabzadeh, E & Solomon, S 2018, 'Integration of visual and whisker signals in rat superior colliculus', Scientific Reports, vol. 8, pp. 1-16pp.
- Ranjbar Slamloo, Y & Arabzadeh, E 2017, 'High-velocity stimulation evokes "dense" population response in layer 2/3 vibrissal cortex', Journal of Neurophysiology, vol. 117, no. 3, pp. 1218-1228.
- Kheradpezhouh, E, Choy, J, Daria, V et al. 2017, 'TRPA1 expression and its functional activation in rodent cortex', Open Biology, vol. 7, no. 4, pp. 160314-160314.
- Fam, J, Westbrook, R & Arabzadeh, E 2016, 'Temporal dynamics of choice behavior in rats and humans: an examination of pre- and post-choice latencies', Scientific Reports, vol. 6, pp. 1-12pp.
- Fazlali, Z, Ranjbar Slamloo, Y, Adibi, M et al 2016, 'Correlation between cortical state and locus coeruleus activity: Implications for sensory coding in rat barrel cortex', Frontiers in Neural Circuits, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 14-14.
- Lee, C, Diamond, M & Arabzadeh, E 2016, 'Sensory prioritization in rats: Behavioral performance and neuronal correlates', Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 36, no. 11, pp. 3243-3253.
- Sabri, M, Arabzadeh, E & Adibi, M 2016, 'Dynamics of population activity in rat sensory cortex: Network correlations predict anatomical arrangement and information content', Frontiers in Neural Circuits, vol. 10, no. July, pp. 11pp.
- Abrahamyan, A, Clifford, C, Arabzadeh, E et al 2015, 'Low Intensity TMS Enhances Perception of Visual Stimuli', Brain Stimulation, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 1175-1182.
- Arabzadeh, E, Westbrook, R & Fam, J 2015, 'Behavioral correlates of the decision process in a dynamic environment: post-choice latencies reflect relative value and choice evaluation', Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, vol. 9, no. article 251, pp. 1-12.
- Arabzadeh, E, von Heimendahl, M & Diamond, M 2015, 'Vibrissal texture coding', in Tony Prescott, Ehud Ahissar, Eugene Izhikevich (ed.), Scholarpedia of Touch, Atlantis Press, Netherlands, pp. 737-749pp.
- Fam, J, Westbrook, R & Arabzadeh, E 2015, 'Dynamics of pre- and post-choice behaviour: rats approximate optimal strategy in a discrete-trial decision task', Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences, vol. 282, no. 1803, pp. 20142963-20142963.
- McDonald, J, Adibi, M, Clifford, C et al 2014, 'Sampling Time and Performance in Rat Whisker Sensory System', PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science), vol. 9, no. 12, pp. e116357-e116357.
- Arabzadeh, E, Clifford, C, Harris, J et al 2014, 'Single Tactile Afferents Outperform Human Subjects in a Vibrotactile Intensity Discrimination Task', Journal of Neurophysiology, vol. 112, no. 10, pp. 2382-2387.
- Adibi M, McDonald JS, Clifford CWG, Arabzadeh E (2014) Population Decoding in Rat Barrel Cortex: Optimizing the Linear Readout of Correlated Population Responses. PLoS Computational Biology. 10(1): e1003415.
- Diamond, M & Arabzadeh, E 2013, 'Coding in the Whisker Sensory System', in Rodrigo Quian Quiroga, Stefano Panzeri (ed.), Principles of Neural Coding, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, USA, pp. 205-223.
- Adibi M, Clifford CWG, Arabzadeh E (2013) Informational basis of sensory adaptation: entropy and single spike efficiency in rat barrel cortex. Journal of Neuroscience 33(37): 14921-6.
- Diamond ME, Arabzadeh E (2013) Whisker sensory system – from receptor to decision. Progress in Neurobiology 103:28-40
- Adibi M, McDonald JS, Clifford CWG, Arabzadeh E (2013) Adaptation improves neuronal coding efficiency despite increasing correlations in variability. Journal of Neuroscience 33(5): 2108-2120.
- Adibi, M., Diamond, M.E. & Arabzadeh, E., 2012. Behavioral study of whisker-mediated vibration sensation in rats. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109(3), pp.971-976.
- Abrahamyan, A. et al., 2011. Improving Visual Sensitivity with Subthreshold Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation. Journal of Neuroscience, 31(9), pp.3290-3294.
- Adibi, M. & Arabzadeh, E., 2011. A Comparison of Neuronal and Behavioral Detection and Discrimination Performances in Rat Whisker System. Journal of Neurophysiology, 105(1), pp.356-365.
- Lavan, D. et al., 2011. Behavioural Correlate of Choice Confidence in a Discrete Trial Paradigm. PLoS ONE, 6(10), p.e26863.
- Ince, R.A.A. et al., 2010. Information-theoretic methods for studying population codes. Neural Networks, 23(6), pp.713-727.
- Lak, A. et al., 2010. Correlated physiological and perceptual effects of noise in a tactile stimulus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(17), pp.7981-7986.
- Arabzadeh, E., Heimendahl, M. & Diamond, M., 2009. Vibrissal texture decoding. Scholarpedia, 4(4), p.6640.
- Montani, F. et al., 2009. The impact of high-order interactions on the rate of synchronous discharge and information transmission in somatosensory cortex. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, 367(1901), pp.3297-3310.
- Arabzadeh, E., Clifford, C.W.G. & Harris, J.A., 2008. Vision merges with touch in a purely tactile discrimination. Psychological science, 19(7), pp.635-641.
- Clifford, C.W.G., Arabzadeh, E. & Harris, J.A., 2008. A good bet to measure awareness? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(6), pp.209-210.
- Clifford, C.W.G., Arabzadeh, E. & Harris, J.A., 2008. Getting technical about awareness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(2), pp.54-58.
- Diamond, M.E., Von Heimendahl, M. & Arabzadeh, E., 2008. Whisker-Mediated Texture Discrimination. PLoS Biology, 6(8), p.e220.
- Harris, J.A. et al., 2007. Noninformative Vision Causes Adaptive Changes in Tactile Sensitivity. Journal of Neuroscience, 27(27), pp.7136-7140.
- Lak, A., Arabzadeh, E. & Diamond, M.E., 2007. Enhanced Response of Neurons in Rat Somatosensory Cortex to Stimuli Containing Temporal Noise. Cerebral Cortex, 18(5), pp.1085-1093.
- Mitchinson, B. et al., 2008. Spike-timing in primary sensory neurons: a model of somatosensory transduction in the rat. Biological Cybernetics, 98(3), pp.185-194.
- Maravall, M. et al., 2007. Shifts in Coding Properties and Maintenance of Information Transmission during Adaptation in Barrel Cortex. PLoS Biology, 5(2), p.e19.
- Von Heimendahl, M. et al., 2007. Neuronal Activity in Rat Barrel Cortex Underlying Texture Discrimination. PLoS Biology, 5(11), p.e305.
- Arabzadeh, E., 2006. Deciphering the Spike Train of a Sensory Neuron: Counts and Temporal Patterns in the Rat Whisker Pathway. Journal of Neuroscience, 26(36), pp.9216-9226.
- Harris, J.A. et al., 2006. Factors Affecting Frequency Discrimination of Vibrotactile Stimuli: Implications for Cortical Encoding. PLoS ONE, 1(1), p.e100.
- Hipp, J., 2006. Texture Signals in Whisker Vibrations. Journal of Neurophysiology, 95(3), pp.1792-1799.
- Arabzadeh, E., Zorzin, E. & Diamond, M.E., 2005. Neuronal Encoding of Texture in the Whisker Sensory Pathway. PLoS Biology, 3(1), p.e17.
- Arabzadeh, E., 2004. Whisker Vibration Information Carried by Rat Barrel Cortex Neurons. Journal of Neuroscience, 24(26), pp.6011-6020.
- Arabzadeh, E., Petersen, R.S. & Diamond, M.E., 2003. Encoding of whisker vibration by rat barrel cortex neurons: implications for texture discrimination. The Journal of neuroscience, 23(27), pp.9146-9154.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- Use of brain organoids for understanding Dementia (Secondary Investigator)
- Role of calcium-activated potassium channels in neuronal excitability, synaptic plasticity and sensory processing (Secondary Investigator)
- Learning and network plasticity in a primitive sensory cortex (Secondary Investigator)
- Understanding cortical circuitry underlying sensory integration and the consequence of its developmental disruption (Primary Investigator)
- Neuronal activity underlying efficient sensory processing (Primary Investigator)
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function (Secondary Investigator)
- Context is everything - understanding how spatial, temporal and behavioural context affect sensory processing (Secondary Investigator)
- Sensory integration in the whisker pathway: cortical transformations and the neuronal mechanisms that underlie decision confidence (Primary Investigator)
- Neuronal and behavioural correlates of sensory adaptation (Primary Investigator)
- Neuronal Substrate of Choice in the Rat Whisker System (Primary Investigator)