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Dan Goodman | Neuroscience

Dan Goodman

I am a postdoctoral researcher in the field of theoretical neuroscience. I'm currently working at the Ecole normale supérieure with Alain de Cheveigné and Christian Lorenzi on computational models of hearing loss. 

Research Interests

I am interested in neural mechanisms underlying computations performed by the brain. In particular, I'm interested in understanding spike-timing based codes and computation, especially in the auditory system.

Projects

Brian

"Brian" is a software package for simulating spiking neural networks. Specifically, it is a package for the Python programming language providing functions and classes designed to make writing simulations of neural networks as easy and flexible as possible. See Brian's web page.

The most recent release of Brian added the Brian.hears package, for auditory modelling. For the next major release, we will be focussing on running Brian on GPU chips (inexpensive massively parallel processors available in consumer graphics cards).

Sound localisation

Sound localisation is the ability of many animals to determine to a greater or lesser degree of accuracy the direction from which a sound is coming. I am working on a neural model of this ability based on synchrony and coincidence detection. The model uses biologically plausible principles, and addresses acoustically realistic situations. In particular, it uses head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) recorded from human subjects instead of artificially introduced interaural time difference (ITD) and level difference (ILD) cues. It is able to localise sounds in the vertical as well as horizontal plane, and eliminate front-back confusions. The model also addresses how we can learn to localise after a change in head or ear shape, such as happens during development. Hopefully, this model will also lead to effective new algorithms to localise sounds in the presence of distractors, noise, reverberations, etc.

Spike sorting

I worked with Kenneth Harris to extend the KlustaKwik spike sorting algorithm to work on the next generation of multi-electrode recordings.

Hearing loss

I am working with Alain de Cheveigné and Christian Lorenzi on computational models of hearing loss.

Selected publications

Publications

My publications are also available on Google Scholar Citations.

In preparation and under review

  • Brette R, Goodman DFM.
    Brian simulator.
    Invited article for Scholarpedia.

2011

2010
2009
2008

2006

Presentations and Posters

Other

May 2010 issue of Neuron
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