James Schummers, Ph. D.
Research Scientist | Neuroscience | Data Science | Machine Learning | Imaging Techniques
MIT-trained neuroscientist and AI researcher bringing academic research and team leadership skills to industry for real-world impact. Expertise in ML, AI, and modeling to extract insight from high-dimensional imaging & time-series data. Proven track record of leading multidisciplinary research teams in multi-year NIH-funded projects. Breakthrough results from biological data imaging analyses published, including papers in Science, Neuron, Cell. Skilled communicator with demonstrated ability to explain complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences.
Tuned Responses of Astrocytes and Their Influence on Hemodynamic Signals in the Visual Cortex
Astrocytes have long been thought to act as a support network for neurons, with little role in information representation or processing. We used two-photon imaging of calcium signals in the ferret visual cortex in vivo to discover that astrocytes, like neurons, respond to visual stimuli, with distinct spatial receptive fields and sharp tuning to visual stimulus features including orientation and spatial frequency.
Invariant computations in local cortical networks with balanced excitation and inhibition
Cortical computations critically involve local neuronal circuits. The computations are often invariant across a cortical area yet are carried out by networks that can vary widely within an area according to its functional architecture
Response Features of Parvalbumin-Expressing Interneurons Suggest Precise Roles for Subtypes of Inhibition in Visual Cortex
Inhibitory interneurons in the cerebral cortex include a vast array of subtypes, varying in their molecular signatures, electrophysiological properties, and connectivity patterns.
In Vivo Two-Photon Imaging Reveals a Role of Arc in Enhancing Orientation Specificity in Visual Cortex
Cortical representations of visual information are modified by an animal's visual experience. To investigate the mechanisms in mice, we replaced the coding part of the neural activity-regulated immediate early gene Arc with a GFP gene and repeatedly monitored visual experience-induced GFP expression in adult primary visual cortex by in vivo two-photon microscopy.
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