The Institute's scope encompasses a wide range of problems
from molecular and cellular level to the neural ensembles and
brain subsystems to the brain mechanisms as a whole, as well as
the applications of the new knowledge to medicine and technology.
The research methods make extensive use of a set of advanced tools :
light and electron microscopy, neurochemical,
electrophysiological, mathematical, and physical simulations
standard and developed hardware and software; some of
those are also distributed to consumers in small amounts.
Instrumental for the Institute works has been the A.B.Kogan
hypothesis on statistical and probabilistic basis of neural
ensembles (1962).
At the subcellular and cellular level the Institute works
have made contribution to the present state of knowledge of
structure-function relations in the frog retina, fresh-water
cancer stretch-receptors, grape snail neurons, brain cortex
pyramidal cells, etc. (A.B. Kogan, O.G. Chorayan, S.L.Zaguskin,
G.M. Fedorenko, V.N.Gusatinsky, L.D.Karpenko et al.). Molecular
and cellular mechanisms of delta-sleep inducing peptide action
have been revealed (A.M.Mengeritsky).
Multiple experimental results have been obtained in studies
of neural ensembles information processing principles in visual
( A.B. Kogan, T.V. Aleynikova, G.G. Bondar, L.N. Podladchikova,
S.A.Chebkasov et al. ) and rodents vibrissae tactile systems
(A.G.Sukhov, V.N.Laskov, T.K.Lapenko, I.I.Khandozhko et al.)
During the last few years theoretical and experimental
research has produced new results on spatiotemporal properties
of the cortex visual orientation detectors ( I.A. Rybak,
L.N. Podladchikova et al. ) and neural mechanisms of cerebellar
information processing ( V.L. Dunin-Barkowski and co-workers).
These works' results are in the process of being implemented
into neurocomputing devices.
Several original hardware and software systems for computer
image analysis and synthesis have been developed (A.I.Samarin,
Yu.K. Gavriley, A.V.Golovan, V.D.Zuckerman, S.A.Kurkin et al.).
The algorithms and the equipment have been tested at the
complex research installation, including electromechanical
robot, endorsed with visual and force sensors, as well as movement control devices.
The group headed by Drs. B.A.Finkelstein and V.N.Yefimov
has developed an original hardware Analog-Digital Neuroprocessor
and the appropriate software package for the studies of neural
networks dynamic activity modes.
The Institute is also active in advanced research of neural
and system mechanisms of functional states changes in the awake
-sleep cycle, as well as this cycle functions analysis
(G.L. Feldman, E.V. Verbitsky, N.V.Suntsova et al.). This group
is also investigating new sources for human sleep anomalies
non-chemical corrections.
As a result of the constant feedback from the psychophysiological
research conducted at the Institute, the software and
hardware for an individual's abilities determination, as well
as for the correction of the human functional state (E.V.
Verbitsky), are continually refined. In particular, the methods
have been elaborated for diagnosis of the operational and psychoemotional
tension, voluntary sensory attention, and mental
fatigue of machine operators ( B.M.Vladimirski, A.E.Tambiev,
V.V.Kiroy, L.A.Vlaskina et al.).
The Institute performs a series of works on automatized
biomedical systems ( G.A. Kuraev, A.A. Kovalyov, V.N. Boitzov,
V.V.Zolotukhin, Ye.K.Aidarkin et al.) The original methods have
been developed for providing the Ilizarov devices for bone
breaks treatment with force sensors. It drastically shortens
and improves the treatment process (D.V.Krivetz and colleagues).
Still another group, led by Drs. Ye.B. Kompaneetz and V.V.
Petrovski, has elaborated a non-invasive electrical stimulation
methodology for vision improvement for several visual nerve and
retina pathologies. The methodology and an original electronic
device, based on it, are now used at hundreds of medical institutions
throughout the former USSR. A similar approach is now
in process for the treatment of some hearing pathologies (O.M.
Bakhtin).
Studies and development of new statistical methods for physiological
and experimental data analysis are in a permanent
progress in the group headed by Dr. B.M.Vladimirski (E.V.Melnikov, F.F.Strokun et al.).
There are also other works in physiology, psychophysiology,
and engineering.
The Institute works are funded by the Russian Federation
budget (basic research) and state and private enterprises (applied research).
The Institute is proud to have about 250 people with it,
including 80 directly involved in the research. Among the latter 7 have
Doctor of Science degree and more that 50 have Candidate of Science
(an approximate equivalent of Ph. D.) degree.
Students of Rostov State University are involved in the Institute's research.
Some of the Institute researchers have joint
appointments as faculty members and graduate student research
advisors.
The Institute has permanent, treaty-based, contact with
Russian and foreign (Bulgaria, France, Germany) research institutions.
Dr. V.L. Dunin-Barkowski is an editorial board member
of several international journals: IEEE Transactions on Neural
Networks, Neurocomputing ( Amsterdam ). Neural Network World
(Prague). The Institute researchers attend professional forums
and work at visiting positions all over the world.
The Institute organizes special and regular meetings of
Russian and foreign scientists. In September 1995, the eleventh
( the first in 1962 ) Rostov-on-Don International ( All-Soviet
-Union) Neurocybernetics Conference had been held. In 1992 and
in 1995 the RNNS/IEEE Symposium on Neuroinformatics and Neurocomputers had
been organized by the Institute personnel. The
latter Symposium is planned to be bi-annual in future.
The Institute offers a high-ranked professional partnership
to all those foreign and Russian colleagues who are interested
in the vast and so much promising area of modern neurocybernetics
.
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