Julijana Gjorgjieva has been Professor of Computational Neurosciences at the TUM School of Life Sciences and a member of the Bernstein Centre for Computational Neurosciences in Munich since 2022. She received an ERC Starting Grant for her research in 2018.
Investigation of feedback loops in the neocortex
Many everyday activities - such as reading in a noisy café or playing the piano - are based on feedback loops in the brain. These make it possible to compare new sensory impressions with previously stored information. Despite their importance, little is known about exactly how these feedback loops work. In her research project ‘Feedback Circuits’, Prof Gjorgjieva is developing theoretical models to decipher the underlying mechanisms in the neocortex.
The project is based on current experimental data on different cell types and the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity by which connections between nerve cells adapt. The aim of the research is to show how feedback loops influence everyday behaviour and how impairments in these processes can cause psychiatric disorders. At the same time, the results should contribute to the further development of more powerful artificial intelligence systems.