Timothy J. Ebner, M.D., Ph.D.

Biography

Dr. Ebner's laboratory is trying to understand how single neurons and populations of neurons encode the information needed to plan and execute limb movements. Their goal is to decipher how the brain represents different movement parameters and then uses this information to control movements. They are investigating both kinematic and dynamic movement parameters, recording the activity of neurons in the cerebellum and cerebral cortex in primates during motor behaviors. A variety of movements are studied, including reaching to targets in space, tracking moving targets, the learning of new visuomotor relations, and hand movements. Using analytical and statistical techniques, we sort out how information about movement parameters is embedded in the neuronal discharge.

At a higher level of integration, they are interested in how information in the brain is represented spatially and temporally in populations of neurons. In the cerebellum they are using flavoprotein fluorescence and Ca++ dyes to visualize neural activity. Using epifluorescence and multi-photon imaging, they are able to construct detailed spatial and temporal maps of the neuronal activity in the cerebellar cortex. One major question is to understand the spatial patterns of activity generated during behavior. Ebner's lab also uses optical imaging to examine the abnormalities in the cerebellar cortex in the spinocerebellar and episodic ataxias.

Tim Ebner Bio

Department of Neuroscience

MnDRIVE Brain Conditions Optogenetics & Neuromodulation Core

Current Publications

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Current Publications

2022

1. Donaldson, P. D., Navabi, Z. S., Carter, R. E., Fausner, S. M. L., Ghanbari, L., Ebner, T. J., Swisher, S. L., & Kodandaramaiah, S. B. (2022). Polymer Skulls With Integrated Transparent Electrode Arrays for Cortex-Wide Opto-Electrophysiological Recordings. Advanced Healthcare Materials, 11(18), [2200626]. https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202200626

2. Streng, M. L., Popa, L. S., & Ebner, T. J. (2022). Cerebellar Representations of Errors and Internal Models. Cerebellum, 21(5), 814-820. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-022-01406-3

3. Nietz, A. K., Popa, L. S., Streng, M. L., Carter, R. E., Kodandaramaiah, S. B., & Ebner, T. J. (2022). Wide-Field Calcium Imaging of Neuronal Network Dynamics In Vivo. Biology, 11(11), [1601]. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11111601

4. West, S. L., Aronson, J. D., Popa, L. S., Feller, K. D., Carter, R. E., Chiesl, W. M., Gerhart, M. L., Shekhar, A. C., Ghanbari, L., Kodandaramaiah, S. B., & Ebner, T. J. (2022). Wide-Field Calcium Imaging of Dynamic Cortical Networks during Locomotion. Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991), 32(12), 2668–2687. https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhab373

5. Zick, Streng, M. L., Popa, L. S., & Ebner, T. J. (2022). Cerebellar Representations of Errors and Internal Models. Cerebellum (London, England), 10.1007/s12311-022-01406-3. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-022-01406-3

6. J., Crowe, D. A., Blackman, R. K., Schultz, K., Bergstrand, D. W., DeNicola, A. L., Carter, R. E., Ebner, T. J., Lanier, L. M., Netoff, T. I., & Chafee, M. V. (2022). Disparate insults relevant to schizophrenia converge on impaired spike synchrony and weaker synaptic interactions in prefrontal local circuits. Current Biology, 32(1), 14-25.e4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.009

Current Publications

+ 2022

2022