No subject

[Read Montague]

			POSTDOCTORAL POSITION
		      DIVISION OF NEUROSCIENCE
		     BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE

A postdoctoral position is available beginning after July, 1993. The
position is for one to three years.  I am seeking individuals
interested in the function of the vertebrate brain.  In particular,
individuals interested in the problem of how three dimensional
neuroanatomy self-organizes into functioning neuronal networks, the
range of mechanisms required to explain this self-organizing
capability, and the behaviors of the developed networks.  I am
interested in theoreticians who have a committment to dealing with the
facts of biological life and/or experimentalists interested in theory
and experiment.  A more explicit description of the interests of the
lab is given below.  Interested parties should send a C.V. and a brief
statement of research interests to the address listed below.

Present address:

	P. Read Montague
	Computational Neurobiology Lab
	The Salk Institute 	
	10010 North Torrey Pines Rd
	La Jolla, CA 92037
	e-mail:	read at helmholtz.sdsc.edu
	fax:	(619) 587-0417


		RESEARCH INTERESTS OF THE LAB

The primary focus of this laboratory is how three dimensional
neuroanatomy self-organizes into functioning neuronal networks, the
range of mechanisms required to explain this self-organizing
capability, and the behaviors of the developed networks.  The approach
focuses on dendritic and axonal development as this development
relates to the systems-level functions of the developed network.  A
particular emphasis is placed on computational and theoretical
approaches, but experimental techniques are also employed. The goal is
not to make the theories simply biologically plausible, but to ground
them initially with reliable biological facts so that the synthesized
network behavior has a chance both to explain and extend experiments.

We are particularly interested in correlational mechanisms of neural
development and learning.  A separate but related interest of the lab
is the role of reinforcement signals in the activity-dependent
self-organization of the cortex.  Recent work has focused on recasting
activity-dependent development in a manner which gives reinforcement
signals a natural role during the development of cortical maps and
sensory-motor transformations.

To place proposed mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and transmission
into a more realistic context, we are exploring both
activity-dependent and activity-independent mechanisms through which
three dimensional dendritic structure develops.  We are interested in
the contribution such development makes to computational theories of
cortical map formation and function.

Our experimental efforts are focused upon the function of synapses in
the mammalian cerebral cortex with particular interest in how a
synapse's local environment modulates its function.  Recent
experimental efforts have focused on the role of N-methyl-D-aspartate
(NMDA) receptors and nitric oxide production in synaptic transmission
in the mammalian cerebral cortex.  These experiments have utilized in
vitro brain slice physiology, electrochemistry, immunocytochemistry,
and standard biochemical methods.

------------------------------------------------------

The Division of Neuroscience at Baylor offers many possibilities
for collaboration with a number of excellent laboratories exploring
questions ranging from the modulation of ionic channel function to
visual processing in the mammalian cortex.  Listed below are some of the
faculty members and their areas of interest.

John Maunsell : 
Processing of visual information by cerebral cortex with a particular
interest in neural representations contributing to higher functions
such as memory or visual guidance of behaviors.

Nikos Logothetis:
Physiological mechanisms mediating visual perception and object
recognition.

Dan Ts'o : 
Neuronal mechanisms of information processing and visual
perception through a combination of conventional electrophysiological
and anatomical techniques and more novel methods such as optical
imaging and cross-correlation analysis.

Sarah Pallas :
Functional development of the central visual system; focusing on the
relative roles of sensory input and intrinic connectivity in
establishing the response properties of target neurons.

Dan Johnston : 
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of long-term synaptic
plasticity.

Peter Saggau : 
Mechanisms that control the behavior of populations of
nerve cells and in vitro optical recording methods.

James W. Patrick : 
Molecular mechanisms responsible for the function
and modification of synapses in the central nervous system.

John A Dani : 
Synaptic communication and the structure and function of
ion channels.

David Sweatt : 
Biochemical mechanisms of long-term changes in neuronal
function with particular emphasis on long-term potentiation.

Paul Pfaffinger : 
Mechanisms involved in regulating neuronal excitability and synaptic
strength.

Mark Perin : 
Molecular events in neurotransmitter release from presynaptic terminals.