Welcome to the LAB (the Laboratory for the Algorithmic Brain), led by Xaq Pitkow. We aim to understand how the brain works using mathematical principles. We develop theories of neural computation and collaborate with experimentalists to test these predictions.
We can explain many features of neural processing with a few simple ideas:
- the brain looks for change
- the brain is deeply nonlinear
- the brain weighs uncertainty
- the brain distributes information across many neurons
Making these ideas precise and applying them to specific tasks requires tools from machine learning, statistics, physics, and applied mathematics. Take a look at our current Publications, Projects, and Principles to see how.
The lab is jointly affiliated with the Baylor College of Medicine‘s Department of Neuroscience and the Center for Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence, and Rice University‘s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
The lab gratefully acknowledges generous support for our work from:
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