Matthew A. Smith, PhD - US grants
Affiliations: | 2011-2019 | Ophthalmology | University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States |
2019- | Biomedical Engineering, Neuroscience Institute | Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA |
Area:
vision, cognition, neurophysiology, neural engineeringWebsite:
http://www.smithlab.netWe are testing a new system for linking grants to scientists.
The funding information displayed below comes from the NIH Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools and the NSF Award Database.The grant data on this page is limited to grants awarded in the United States and is thus partial. It can nonetheless be used to understand how funding patterns influence mentorship networks and vice-versa, which has deep implications on how research is done.
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High-probability grants
According to our matching algorithm, Matthew A. Smith is the likely recipient of the following grants.Years | Recipients | Code | Title / Keywords | Matching score |
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2004 — 2006 | Smith, Matthew A Smith, Matthew A [⬀] | F32Activity Code Description: To provide postdoctoral research training to individuals to broaden their scientific background and extend their potential for research in specified health-related areas. |
Time Course of Learning Perceptual Pop-Out in V1 and V2 @ Carnegie-Mellon University DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This project focuses on the neural basis of perceptual learning in visual cortex. Although plasticity has been well documented in visual cortex, the time course of plasticity and the kinds of changes that occur in visual neurons have not been fully characterized. The proposed experiments aim to explore the development and nature of visual plasticity due to extensive training by monitoring the evolution of cortical neuronal responses relative to the time course of behavioral change. The change of psychometric and neurometric contrast response functions and the change in correlation within neuronal ensembles will be explored as more sensitive measures of plasticity. An understanding of the mechanisms of change in the cerebral cortex as a result of training is potentially very important for the medical treatment of humans with various kinds of brain damage. In particular, the treatment of strokes and other focal brain lesions can gain insight from the research in this proposal. In addition, knowledge of the limits of visual cortical plasticity are important in understanding diseases such as amblyopia, in which there are known changes in the cortex as a result of a visual impairment. |
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2009 — 2013 | Smith, Matthew A Smith, Matthew A [⬀] | K99Activity Code Description: To support the initial phase of a Career/Research Transition award program that provides 1-2 years of mentored support for highly motivated, advanced postdoctoral research scientists. R00Activity Code Description: To support the second phase of a Career/Research Transition award program that provides 1 -3 years of independent research support (R00) contingent on securing an independent research position. Award recipients will be expected to compete successfully for independent R01 support from the NIH during the R00 research transition award period. |
Influence of Attention and Eye Movement Signals On Population Coding in Area V4 @ University of Pittsburgh At Pittsburgh The goal of this project is to understand how populations of neurons in visual cortex integrate diverse types of information provided by synaptic inputs, including eye movement signals and attentional modulation. Much of our understanding of the visual system has been shaped by extracellular recordings from individual neurons In a single visual area. However, in the case of many diseases of the brain (such as amblyopia) and damage to the brain (such as that caused by concussive head trauma) impairment of functioning can not be understood in terms of a deficit in a single, focal region. Furthermore, an understanding of a complex process like visual attention or visual motor function cannot be obtained from recordings of single neurons in a single cortical area. In this project, we will utilize multi-electrode recording technology in one cortical area combined with stimulating and recording In another cortical area to determine how populations of neurons interact within and between brain regions. Specifically, the proposed experiments will employ chronically implanted 100-electrode arrays In macaque visual area V4 In conjunction with stimulation and recording from single electrodes in the frontal eye fields (FEF). Area V4 Is an idea! choice to explore questions of integration because of Its place in the visual hierarchy. It receives input from early visual cortex as well as higher level regions, including FEF. We will begin by measuring the correlation structure within a population of V4 neurons during visual stimulation in order to determine how it differs from the known structure of correlation in primary visual cortex. Once this is complete, we will record simultaneously in FEF and V4 to determine the types of neurons that are connected between these areas, and test the hypothesis that the FEF to V4 pathway plays a role in attentional modulation. Finally, we will stimulate in FEF and record populations of neurons in V4. We expect that FEF input will serve to synchronize groups of V4 neurons, enabling them to provide a more effective input to downstream cortical areas. These experiments will provide crucial insight into how the visual cortex integrates over small regions of space using information about eye movements and attentional modulation to produce behaviorally relevant output. |
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2014 — 2018 | Smith, Matthew A Smith, Matthew A [⬀] | R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Dynamic Mechanisms of Active Vision in Prefrontal Cortex @ University of Pittsburgh At Pittsburgh DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Under natural conditions, our visual experience is characterized by frequent eye movements as we scan a rich visual environment. Most experiments, however, have focused on neural responses under visually and behaviorally impoverished conditions, sacrificing realistic conditions for tractability. There is a growing realization that the brain's activity under these conditions does not always generalize to more natural settings, and experiments that probe neuronal dynamics under more complicated situations are needed. The long-term goal of this application is to determine how neural circuits in the primate brain act to generate coherent visual perception despite frequent eye movements and changes in internal cognitive state. The frontal eye field (FEF), a part of prefrontal cortex critical for controlling saccadic eye movements, plays a key role in this function through its unique position in the cortical hierarchy. FEF neurons serve both visual and motor functions, with connections to subcortical structures that control the eyes and to visual cortical areas. How do FEF neurons act in this gateway, serving the dual functions of integrating visual information to guide eye movements and informing the visual system about planned motor commands? One clue comes from studies of the phenomenon of predictive remapping, in which neurons shift their spatial preferences prior to an impending saccade. This occurs in FEF neurons as well as other cortical areas, and hints at the frequent and dynamic changes in their response properties. What kinds of dynamic changes are brought on by motor planning? How does the information necessary to generate these dynamics propagate through neuronal circuits? We will address these questions in three specific aims, the first of which uses rapidly presented sparse noise stimuli, an approach developed in early visual areas, to probe the dynamics of FEF neuronal responses. We hypothesize that FEF neurons have precise temporal dynamics, enabling responses to rapidly flashed stimuli, and nonlinear spatial summation, leading to strong responses to small stimuli that are perceived as potential saccade targets. The second specific aim is to measure the predictively remapped response with high spatial and temporal precision using the same noise stimulus. We hypothesize that remapping manifests as a gradual shift in the receptive field in the peri-saccadic time period, and this occurs for both guided saccades and more naturalistic spontaneous saccades. In the third specific aim, we attempt to isolate the neuronal circuitry responsible for these dynamic changes by recording simultaneously from a population of FEF neurons. We hypothesize that local circuitry within FEF is invoked to transfer information between neurons prior to an eye movement. The overall result of this study will be to establish the role of FEF in integrating visual perception and motor control during active vision, and to construct a framework for using receptive field mapping and population recordings to measure dynamic changes in neural circuits across visual and motor systems. This will aid in developing treatments for neurological disorders of vision and rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury or disease. |
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2017 — 2021 | Smith, Matthew Smith, Matthew [⬀] | N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Collaborative Research:Ncs-Fo:Volitional Modulation of Neural Activity in the Visual Cortex @ University of Pittsburgh This project is funded by Integrative Strategies for Understanding Neural and Cognitive Systems (NSF-NCS), a multidisciplinary program jointly supported by the Directorates for Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Education and Human Resources (EHR), Engineering (ENG), and Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE). Even basic perception of the world is not as simple as light coming into the eyes or sound coming into the ears. Rather, perception involves combining the incoming sensory information with cognitive processes such as past experiences, knowledge about the world, and personal tendencies. In other words, two people observing the same events (i.e., receiving the same sensory information) can arrive at different interpretations of what is happening in the environment. How the brain combines sensory information with these cognitive processes, and where this occurs in the brain, is incompletely understood. The key innovation of this project is to use a brain-computer interface (BCI) to tease apart which aspects of the brain's activity are sensory versus cognitive and how the two are combined in the brain to produce perception of the world. BCIs are widely-known for their ability to help paralyzed patients and amputees by allowing them to move a computer cursor or robotic arm simply by thinking about moving. Few studies have used BCIs as an experimental tool to understand sensory areas of the brain, as this project seeks to do. This work is likely to lead to a deeper understanding of how we perceive the world, as well as insights into how BCI can be used to help treat psychiatric disorders and recover function after injury. Furthermore, the investigators are developing BCI-based lab exercises for undergraduate courses, training researchers to become well-versed in experimental and computational neuroscience, and involving undergraduates, including women and underrepresented minorities, in the research. |
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2018 — 2021 | Smith, Matthew A (co-PI) [⬀] Yu, Byron M. [⬀] |
R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Crcns: Modulating Neural Population Interactions Between Cortical Areas @ Carnegie-Mellon University Understanding how different parts of the brain communicate is perhaps the most fundamental question of neuroscience because it is at the heart of understanding all brain functions and disorders. It is of clinical importance because numerous brain diseases - autism, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, and many others - are thought to be due to impaired communication among regions of the brain, and attention in particular is impaired in every major neurological disorder. Even though numerous studies have led to understanding of how single neurons respond to flashes of light or simplified visual objects like lines, relatively little work has been directed toward explicitly learning how groups of neurons communicate with each other, and how that communication enables attending to important information and filtering out distractions. The research described in this proposal seeks to reveal how different parts of the brain communicate to support visual perception. The central question addressed is how different parts of the brain communicate to help select the parts of the visual world that warrant focus, and ignore the parts of the world that are distracting. The specific research aims are designed to (1) reveal how communication between visual and prefrontal cortex modulates over time and how those interactions impact behavior (2) develop statistical approaches to optimize the ability to use stimulation to intervene between these brain regions, and (3) apply these methods with microstimulation in prefrontal cortex to modulate visual responses and, in turn, attentional mechanisms. Together, these aims will have important consequences for the understanding of attention, neuronal communication, and interventional approaches to manipulate the nervous system. |
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2020 — 2021 | Smith, Matthew A [⬀] | R01Activity Code Description: To support a discrete, specified, circumscribed project to be performed by the named investigator(s) in an area representing his or her specific interest and competencies. |
Dynamic Population Codes For Perception @ Carnegie-Mellon University Dynamic population codes for perception PROJECT SUMMARY One of the most critical functions of sensory and motor systems is preparation for upcoming events. In sensory systems, this preparation confers a perceptual and behavioral advantage. When the location of an upcoming event is known, subjects respond with shorter reaction times and greater accuracy ? an internal state that is often referred to as spatial attention. Numerous regions throughout the cortex have been implicated as playing important roles in establishing and maintaining attention, making it clear that attention operates through the coordinated activity of neuronal populations throughout the brain. Typical studies of attention, however, have focused largely on averaged neuronal responses in a time window well after the time of stimulus onset, and nearly all have involved recordings from a single brain region at a time. We will investigate the population-level mechanisms by which neurons prepare for an anticipated stimulus and maintain an attentional state, focusing on the activity of neurons within visual and prefrontal cortex as well as the interactions between these regions. Our strategy is to employ population-level measures to reveal signals hidden from single-neuron and averaged approaches, and then link these measures to behavior. In the first specific aim, we measure how neurons in visual cortex prepare for an upcoming stimulus. We hypothesize that a diverse population code underlies attentional preparation in visual cortex and is reflected in the earliest responses. In the second specific aim, we determine how prefrontal cortex and visual cortex work in concert to prepare attention. We hypothesize that prefrontal cortex serves to maintain a stable attentional state in the absence of visual stimulation, and coordinated activity between these regions influences behavior. In the third specific aim, we seek to understand how preparation in visual cortex is adaptable based on context. We hypothesize that dynamic task demands influence the patterns by which visual cortex prepares, enabling attention to flexibly influence behavior in numerous situations. The overall result of this study will be to establish the role of population activity in dynamic visual perception, and to construct a framework by which to relate population recordings in multiple brain regions to visual perception and behavior. This will aid in developing treatments for neurological disorders of vision and rehabilitation after traumatic brain injury or disease. |
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2020 — 2021 | Smith, Matthew A [⬀] | P30Activity Code Description: To support shared resources and facilities for categorical research by a number of investigators from different disciplines who provide a multidisciplinary approach to a joint research effort or from the same discipline who focus on a common research problem. The core grant is integrated with the center's component projects or program projects, though funded independently from them. This support, by providing more accessible resources, is expected to assure a greater productivity than from the separate projects and program projects. |
@ University of Pittsburgh At Pittsburgh The Custom Fabrication Module provides our Participating Faculty and their laboratory staff with the resources and equipment necessary to design and build custom laboratory devices. Such custom devices, tailored to the particular needs of each experiment, can increase efficiency in existing experiments and open up possibilities for new experiments that would not be possible with commercially available devices. Vision research projects in any domain can benefit from these resources. The Custom Fabrication Module also provides training in the design and fabrication methods available to users, which can be critical in breaking down barriers of imagination as to what can be achieved with custom devices. In addition, the module provides guidance for users as they move through the stages of design, prototyping, and manufacturing of custom equipment. The goal is to enable users to rapidly move from concept to execution, and then allow them to implement their devices in an experimental setting and then revise as needed. |
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2021 — 2026 | Yu, Byron [⬀] Chase, Steven (co-PI) [⬀] Smith, Matthew (co-PI) [⬀] |
N/AActivity Code Description: No activity code was retrieved: click on the grant title for more information |
Collaborative Research: Ncs-Fr: Volitional Control of Internal Cognitive States @ Carnegie-Mellon University Humans are not, by nature, logical creatures. It takes focus to maintain our composure and not let emotions color our judgement. When we can control our emotional state, we can get “in the zone” and perform well. Failing to do so, we’ll “have a bad day”, or just be “off”. Why does this happen? And, in terms of neurobiological mechanisms, how does this happen? Our emotions are regulated by internal states, such as arousal, attention, and motivation, brain-wide modulatory processes that impact neural function related to perception, decision making, and action. What are the neural mechanisms of those interactions? This project will explore the interactions between internal states and cognitive processing in the cerebral cortex. The investigators will leverage their expertise in “brain training” by giving subjects visual feedback about their neural activity so that they are directly aware of their internal states. In this way, they will study whether subjects are able to better regulate their internal states so that they are able to make perceptual judgments and perform motor skills more consistently at a high level of performance. The investigators will also organize workshops to bring together experts in areas related to this project, train researchers to become well-versed in experimental and computational neuroscience, and enhance the participation of undergraduates, women, and underrepresented minorities in the research. |
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