Dr Jeremy Niven
University position
Royal Society University Research Fellow
Dr Jeremy Niven is pleased to consider applications from prospective PhD students.
Departments
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Research Themes
Interests
Our group is interested in understanding how neural circuits evolve in relation to the behaviours they generate. Using intracellular recordings from identified neurons in insects, we determine the relationships between the biophysical properties of neurons and behaviourally relevant quantitative performance measures. This approach is complemented by computational modelling of neurons, synapses and neural circuits as well as behavioural studies using high-speed video analysis. We apply these approaches to the visual and motor systems as well as visually guided movements in insects. Currently, we are investigating several aspects of these problems: How do neural circuits evolve in relation to changes in behaviour? How have visual and motor circuits evolved in relation to changes in animal body mass? How do these relationships affect the precision and visually guided behaviours? What additional pressures does miniaturization place on the precision of visually guided behaviours?
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Research Focus
Keywordscoding energy evolution behaviour neural circuit |
Clinical conditionsNo direct clinical relevance |
Equipment
Behavioural analysis
Computational modelling
Electrophysiological recording techniques
High-speed video analysis
Intracellular recording
Microscopy
Phylogenetic analysis
Collaborators
CambridgeSteve Rogers | InternationalMarc Seid Web: http://www.stri.org/index.php David Stern Web: http://www.princeton.edu/%7Edste... Mikko Vahasoyrinki Web: http://www.oulu.fi/Welcome... William Wcislo Web: http://www.stri.org/english... Matti Weckstrom Web: http://cc.oulu.fi/~mtw/gr... |
Key publications
Niven JE, Laughlin SB (2008), “Energy limitation as a selective pressure on the evolution of sensory systems.” J Exp Biol 211(Pt 11):1792-804 Details
Niven JE, Anderson JC, Laughlin SB (2007), “Fly Photoreceptors Demonstrate Energy-Information Trade-Offs in Neural Coding” PLoS Biolgy 5(4):828-40 Details
Niven JE, Burrows M (2003), “Spike width reduction modifies the dynamics of short-term depression at a central synapse in the locust” Journal of Neuroscience 23(20):7461-9
Niven JE, Vahasoyrinki M, Kauranen M, Hardie RC, Juusola M, Weckstrom M (2003), “The contribution of Shaker K+ channels to the information capacity of Drosophila photoreceptors” Nature 421(6923):630-4
Publications
2008
Niven JE (2008), “Evolution: convergent eye losses in fishy circumstances.” Curr Biol 18(1):R27-9 Details
Niven JE, Graham CM, Burrows M (2008), “Diversity and evolution of the insect ventral nerve cord.” Annu Rev Entomol 53:253-71 Details
Seid MA, Scheffrahn RH, Niven JE (2008), “The rapid mandible strike of a termite soldier.” Curr Biol 18(22):R1049-50 Details
2007
Niven JE (2007), “Invertebrate memory: wide-eyed ants retrieve visual snapshots.” Curr Biol 17(3):R85-7 Details
Niven JE (2007), “Brains, islands and evolution: breaking all the rules.” Trends Ecol Evol 22(2):57-9 Details
2006
Niven JE (2006), “Visual motion: homing in on small target detectors.” Curr Biol 16(8):R292-4 Details
Vähäsöyrinki M, Niven JE, Hardie RC, Weckström M, Juusola M (2006), “Robustness of neural coding in Drosophila photoreceptors in the absence of slow delayed rectifier K+ channels.” J Neurosci 26(10):2652-60 Details
2005
Niven JE, Scharlemann JP (2005), “Do insect metabolic rates at rest and during flight scale with body mass?” Biol Lett 1(3):346-9 Details