John White

Prof. White’s laboratory uses engineering approaches to understand how information is processed in the brain, with the goal of exploiting these findings to improve the human condition. Ongoing and future research questions include the following:

• Why is coherent electrical activity of the cortex necessary for mental processes like learning and memory?
• What factors control this coherent activity, and how can such knowledge be applied to help patients with memory disorders and epilepsy?
• How can recent advances in computing technology be exploited to develop electronic devices that detect brain dysfunction in real time and react to restore normal function in neurological patients?
• Can we take advantage of nonlinear optical techniques to improve methods of measuring and controlling neuronal activity in reduced preparations and the intact brain?
• How do calcium and other second messengers interact to influence short-term and long-term plasticity in synapses and in neurons?
• How do glial cells contribute to epilepsy, and how can that knowledge be used to generate new therapies?
• How can the principles of brain function be adapted to build novel “smart” devices?