Electrosensory Signal Processing Lab

Mark E. Nelson (m-nelson at uiuc.edu)

Beckman Institute
Neuroscience Program
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Black ghost knife fish (Apteronotus albifrons). From: Dr. Axelrod's Atlas of Freshwater Aquarium Fishes

Our research is focused on active sensory acquisition. We seek to understand neural mechanisms and computational principles that animals use to actively acquire sensory information in complex, dynamic environments. We are interested in systems-level integration and interactions of:

neural coding and spike train statistics

sensory signal detection and estimation

active repositioning of sensor arrays

multiresolution adaptive filtering

processing of clustered sensory signals

generation and subtraction of sensory expectation

We study these processes in the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish, using a combination of behavioral, electrophysiological, and computational neuroscience approaches.

Weakly Electric Fish

The animal to the left is a black ghost knifefish (Apteronotus albifrons). These nocturnal fish generate a weak (millivolt-level) electric field, which they use to detect objects in the dark. They use this ability, called active electrolocation, to hunt and navigate at night in freshwater rivers of South America. We study how weakly electric fish acquire information about their surroundings using the electric sense.

Electrosensory Signal Processing Lab

Mark E. Nelson (m-nelson at uiuc.edu)

Weakly Electric Fish

Nelson Lab

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