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Ian C. Fiebelkorn, Ph.D.

Ian C. Fiebelkorn, Ph.D.

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About Me

Faculty Appointments

Associate Professor - Department of Neuroscience (SMD)

Associate Professor - Department of Biomedical Engineering (SMD) - Joint

Associate Professor - Center for Visual Science A&S (RC) - Joint

Credentials

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

Associate Research Scholar, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Advisor: Dr. Sabine Kastner 2016 - 2020

Postdoctoral Fellow, Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ
Advisor: Dr. Sabine Kastner 2012 - 2015

Postdoctoral Fellow, Departments of Neuroscience and Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY and Center for Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND
Advisors: Dr. John J. Foxe, Dr. Mark E. McCourt 2011 - 2012

Education

PhD | City University of NY, City College. Neuroscience. 2011

BA | Hamilton College. Neuroscience. 2001

Awards

Searle Scholars Fellowship. 2022

CUNY Research Grant for Doctoral Students. 2009

CUNY Graduate Center Science Fellowship. 2006 - 2011

RTI International Highly Published Author and Outstanding Paper Awards. 2004

RTI International Annual Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Strategic Goals. 2003 - 2004

Senior Prize in Neuroscience, Hamilton College. 2001

New York Science Education Program Summer Research Grant, Hamilton College. 2000

Dixon-Comstock Scholarship, Hamilton College. 1997 - 2001

Research

The overarching goal of the Fiebelkorn lab’s research is to understand how the brain flexibly allocates its limited processing resources to improve behavioral outcomes. Addressing this goal requires observing neural dynamics on multiple scales—at the levels of single neurons, local neural population...
The overarching goal of the Fiebelkorn lab’s research is to understand how the brain flexibly allocates its limited processing resources to improve behavioral outcomes. Addressing this goal requires observing neural dynamics on multiple scales—at the levels of single neurons, local neural populations, and large-scale networks.

Research questions: How does the brain navigate our complex environments? In a busy street scene, for example, the brain relies on filtering mechanisms. Two primary functions interact to make this filtering possible: (1) spatial attention (enhanced or suppressed sensory processing) and saccades (exploratory shifts of gaze). A shared network of brain regions, known as the “attention network,” directs both. But how?

Key findings and new investigations: We recently demonstrated that these sensory and motor functions alternate over time (approximately every 250 ms). We continue to investigate the temporal dynamics of attention-related functions. This work covers the balance not only between sensory and motor functions, but also between enhancement (of behaviorally relevant information) and suppression (of distracting information). We are further investigating whether such temporal or rhythmic coordination is a more general mechanism in the brain for resolving potential functional conflicts, maintaining cognitive and representation flexibility.

Clinical applications: We hope that our research will provide a new lens through which to investigate and treat brain disorders marked by abnormalities in cognitive flexibility, such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Publications

Journal Articles

Rhythmic temporal coordination of neural activity prevents representational conflict during working memory.

Abdalaziz M, Redding ZV, Fiebelkorn IC

Current biology : CB.. 2023 May 833 (9):1855-1863.e3. Epub 04/25/2023.

Interacting rhythms enhance sensitivity of target detection in a fronto-parietal computational model of visual attention.

Aussel A, Fiebelkorn IC, Kastner S, Kopell NJ, Pittman-Polletta BR

eLife.. 2023 January 3112 Epub 01/31/2023.

There Is More Evidence of Rhythmic Attention than Can Be Found in Behavioral Studies: Perspective on Brookshire, 2022.

Fiebelkorn IC

Journal of cognitive neuroscience.. 2022 December 135 (1):128-134. Epub 1900 01 01.

Detecting attention-related rhythms: When is behavior not enough? (Commentary on van der Werf et al. 2021).

Fiebelkorn IC

The European journal of neuroscience.. 2022 June 55 (11-12):3117-3120. Epub 12/08/2021.

Spike Timing in the Attention Network Predicts Behavioral Outcome Prior to Target Selection.

Fiebelkorn IC, Kastner S

Neuron.. 2021 January 6109 (1):177-188.e4. Epub 10/23/2020.

Dynamic pulvino-cortical interactions in the primate attention network.

Kastner S, Fiebelkorn IC, Eradath MK

Current opinion in neurobiology.. 2020 December 65 :10-19. Epub 09/14/2020.

Functional Specialization in the Attention Network.

Fiebelkorn IC, Kastner S

Annual review of psychology.. 2020 January 471 :221-249. Epub 09/12/2019.

A Rhythmic Theory of Attention.

Fiebelkorn IC, Kastner S

Trends in cognitive sciences.. 2019 February 23 (2):87-101. Epub 12/24/2018.

The Puzzling Pulvinar.

Fiebelkorn IC, Kastner S

Neuron.. 2019 January 16101 (2):201-203. Epub 1900 01 01.

The mediodorsal pulvinar coordinates the macaque fronto-parietal network during rhythmic spatial attention.

Fiebelkorn IC, Pinsk MA, Kastner S

Nature communications.. 2019 January 1510 (1):215. Epub 01/15/2019.

A Dynamic Interplay within the Frontoparietal Network Underlies Rhythmic Spatial Attention.

Fiebelkorn IC, Pinsk MA, Kastner S

Neuron.. 2018 August 2299 (4):842-853.e8. Epub 1900 01 01.

Neural Mechanisms of Sustained Attention Are Rhythmic.

Helfrich RF, Fiebelkorn IC, Szczepanski SM, Lin JJ, Parvizi J, Knight RT, Kastner S

Neuron.. 2018 August 2299 (4):854-865.e5. Epub 1900 01 01.

Neuro-oscillatory phase alignment drives speeded multisensory response times: an electro-corticographic investigation.

Mercier MR, Molholm S, Fiebelkorn IC, Butler JS, Schwartz TH, Foxe JJ

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.. 2015 June 335 (22):8546-57. Epub 1900 01 01.

Rhythmic sampling within and between objects despite sustained attention at a cued location.

Fiebelkorn IC, Saalmann YB, Kastner S

Current biology : CB.. 2013 December 1623 (24):2553-8. Epub 12/05/2013.

Auditory-driven phase reset in visual cortex: human electrocorticography reveals mechanisms of early multisensory integration.

Mercier MR, Foxe JJ, Fiebelkorn IC, Butler JS, Schwartz TH, Molholm S

NeuroImage.. 2013 October 179 :19-29. Epub 04/26/2013.

Atypical category processing and hemispheric asymmetries in high-functioning children with autism: revealed through high-density EEG mapping.

Fiebelkorn IC, Foxe JJ, McCourt ME, Dumas KN, Molholm S

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior.. 2013 May 49 (5):1259-67. Epub 05/03/2012.

Multisensory representation of frequency across audition and touch: high density electrical mapping reveals early sensory-perceptual coupling.

Butler JS, Foxe JJ, Fiebelkorn IC, Mercier MR, Molholm S

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.. 2012 October 3132 (44):15338-44. Epub 1900 01 01.

Pitting binding against selection--electrophysiological measures of feature-based attention are attenuated by Gestalt object grouping.

Snyder AC, Fiebelkorn IC, Foxe JJ

The European journal of neuroscience.. 2012 March 35 (6):960-7. Epub 1900 01 01.

Auditory facilitation of visual-target detection persists regardless of retinal eccentricity and despite wide audiovisual misalignments.

Fiebelkorn IC, Foxe JJ, Butler JS, Molholm S

Experimental brain research.. 2011 September 213 (2-3):167-74. Epub 04/09/2011.

Ready, set, reset: stimulus-locked periodicity in behavioral performance demonstrates the consequences of cross-sensory phase reset.

Fiebelkorn IC, Foxe JJ, Butler JS, Mercier MR, Snyder AC, Molholm S

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.. 2011 July 631 (27):9971-81. Epub 1900 01 01.

Common or redundant neural circuits for duration processing across audition and touch.

Butler JS, Molholm S, Fiebelkorn IC, Mercier MR, Schwartz TH, Foxe JJ

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.. 2011 March 231 (9):3400-6. Epub 1900 01 01.

Staying within the lines: the formation of visuospatial boundaries influences multisensory feature integration.

Fiebelkorn IC, Foxe JJ, Schwartz TH, Molholm S

The European journal of neuroscience.. 2010 May 31 (10):1737-43. Epub 1900 01 01.

Dual mechanisms for the cross-sensory spread of attention: how much do learned associations matter?

Fiebelkorn IC, Foxe JJ, Molholm S

Cerebral cortex.. 2010 January 20 (1):109-20. Epub 1900 01 01.

State-level Medicaid expenditures attributable to smoking.

Armour BS, Finkelstein EA, Fiebelkorn IC

Preventing chronic disease.. 2009 July 6 (3):A84. Epub 06/15/2009.

State-level estimates of annual medical expenditures attributable to obesity.

Finkelstein EA, Fiebelkorn IC, Wang G

Obesity research.. 2004 January 12 (1):18-24. Epub 1900 01 01.

National medical spending attributable to overweight and obesity: how much, and who's paying?

Finkelstein EA, Fiebelkorn IC, Wang G

Health affairs.. 2003 Suppl Web Exclusives :W3-219-26. Epub 1900 01 01.

Books

The New Handbook of Multisensory Processing (Second Edition) (2012)

Chapter: Attention and Multisensory Feature Integration

Authors: Fiebelkorn IC, Foxe JJ, Molholm S

Publisher: MIT Press 2012