Centre for Computational Neuroscience
and Cognitive Robotics – CN-CR
Linking neuroscience with robotics.
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About the Centre
Contents
About the Centre Key projects Our research groups
Who will benefit
from the Centre?
Research-led teaching
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The University of Birmingham is at the forefront of research to link
the science of how the human brain functions with the field of robotics.
We have recently announced plans for a multi-million pound investment
in this area with a new centre for Computational Neuroscience and
Cognitive Robotics, unique in the UK, opening in 2010.
This centre will combine state-of-the-art
brain imaging and cognitive neuroscience
with robotics. One applied aim of this will
be to translate neuroscience to facilitate the
rehabilitation of brain lesioned patients, as
well as more generally advancing the field
by implementing psychological theories in
robotic systems. Hosting a suite of cognitive
neuroscience and robotics laboratories,
the Centre will focus on developing a better
understanding of brain function and learning.
This will be translated into innovative treatments
for brain injured patients and those with
degenerative or developmental neurological
disorders. It will also focus on using this
improved understanding to develop new kinds
of intelligent control for robots that are inspired
by the way the brain works, and to use these
and existing techniques in intelligent robotics
to develop assistive and rehabilitative robots
for brain impaired or motor disabled patients.
The Centre, served by a core MRI facility,
will provide a centre of excellence for applied
cognitive neuroscience and cognitive robotics,
with translational applications in the areas of
n brain injury
n ageing
n developmental and adult
neurological disorders
n assistive and rehabilitative robotics
Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics
There are around 250,000 cases of brain injury
per year in the UK, through medical conditions
such as stroke and head trauma and similar
numbers of individuals who are diagnosed with
degenerative neurological change in disorders
such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.
Brain injury is the leading cause of severe
disability in the UK, costing the National Health
Service around £2.8 billion a year– a cost which
is rising due to better initial medical intervention
after stroke and brain injury, as people live
longer but with a disability, and due to generally
increasing life expectancy.
Connecting with the local region
Our links with medical neuroscience in the
Queen Elizabeth Hospital near to the University
mean that the Centre is in an advantageous
position to generate a uniquely integrated
approach to brain rehabilitation.
We are also developing links with the European
robotics industry to exploit the advances made
in robotics.
Through an existing stroke screening
programme run by the University with local
hospitals, we have access to a large group
of patients with neurological difficulties. This
provides our team of researchers with ideal
opportunities for work on new treatments
to help patients with brain injury interact with
external environments and reconnect with skills
and abilities which may have been lost to them
following injury.
The effects of training and rehabilitation
programmes which have been facilitated by
robotic interventions will be assessed within
the Centre, using both existing measures of
brain activity and facilitating the development
of new measures. We will also be at the
forefront of using robotic systems to test
theories of biological function, and in using
neuro-imaging data to drive robotic systems.
The Centre is the only one of its kind in the
UK to bring together cognitive neuroscientific,
computational and cognitive robotic expertise,
aimed at translational neuroscience and
advances in assistive robotics. We aim to
integrate several interdisciplinary teams
to develop a greater understanding of brain
function and human and artificial learning
which will be translated into innovative
treatment for brain injured patients and
those with degenerative or developmental
neurological disorders.
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Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics
Key projects
Our research into cognitive neuroscience and cognitive robotics involves collaborations
between the Schools of Psychology, Computer Science, Biosciences, Medicine, Sport
and Exercise Sciences, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, and Electronic,
Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Our Schools are at the forefront of international
work, as shown by their performance in the
RAE exercise. In the School of Psychology,
25% of our research activity was judged as
‘world leading’ and 55% as ‘internationally
excellent’, placing us third among all 76 UK
Psychology departments. The School of
Computer Science had 30% of research
activity rated ‘world leading’ and 45%
as ‘internationally excellent’.
We have made cognitive neuroscience and
cognitive robotics a key priority in our strategic
development plans. Access to state-of-the-art
facilities is critical for this rapidly developing
field and we have been successful in acquiring
high resolution facilities both for measuring
and intervening in brain activity, equipment
awards for electro-encephalography (EEG),
Trans-cranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS),
eye movement and kinematic motion analysis.
We also have advanced platforms for robotics
including multi-fingered, lightweight robot hands;
robot arms; and mobile robots to support a wide
range of investigations.
Applied neuropsychological research is
supported by the Stroke Research Network,
which facilitates access to 10 hospital sites
across the West Midlands where our stroke
screening programme takes place. Through
this programme we have one of the largest
and best characterised groups of neurological
patients in the UK, with details about their
cognitive profile and their neurological status.
In addition to this we have established panels
of healthy elderly participants and children
with neuro-developmental disorders. We
work closely with medical neuroscience in
the existing Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and
Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics
Current projects
Our projects span from basic work on understanding brain function,
through using advanced imaging, robotic devices and virtual reality
environments to promote recovery in neurological patients, to applied
work on developing intelligent robots.
will continue in the new hospital where we
will have laboratory facilities on site.
The School of Computer Science houses one
of the leading robotics groups in the UK with
an outstanding reputation for work on control
architectures and substantial external research
funding. Our scientists are already in close
collaboration with researchers in Psychology
working on attention, perception and action
with the aim being to simulate human control
systems in robots, while also using robotic
implementations to test psychological theories.
Funding for the Centre totals around
£7 million and comes from a wide range
of sources: all relevant UK Research
Councils (BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC, MRC),
UK charities (the Stroke Association, the
Wellcome Trust), international bodies (the
EU, the Human Science Frontier Program).
Example of voxel-based morphological analysis demonstrating selective gray-matter
lesions for patients with disorders of attention to space and to objects, along with
DTI imaging demonstrating common fibre tract damage
Neuropsychological screening
and rehabilitation
Summary: Developing clinically applicable
techniques for cognitive screening after
brain injury, examining cognitive deficits in
relation to brain lesion, using fMRI to
develop neural-level models of
neurorehabilitation.
Principal Investigators: Professor Jane
Riddoch with Professor G Humphreys,
Dr Pia Rotshtein
Funding: MRC and Stroke Association
Focus: Predicting neural recovery
from multi-modal brain imaging
Techniques: Neuropsychology,
MRI (structural and functional),
computational modelling
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Example : stereoscopic depth responses in the human brain recorded at 7T.
Activity in human visual search associated with top-down excitation (red)
and active inhibition (blue), extracted from using a neural-network model
of human search to predict the FMRI (BOLD) response.
Visual perception and the brain
Summary: Using advanced pattern classifier
systems to distinguish the neural response to
different depth cues to assess whether depth
information is coded in a common manner.
Also uses psychophysical work to characterise
how depth cues may be analysed in computer
vision and used to create graphic surfaces.
Principal Investigators: Professor Z Kourtzi,
Dr P Tino and Dr A Welchman
Funding: BBSRC, EPSRC, EU
Focus: Understanding the neural basis
of depth perception
Techniques: Psychophysics, fMRI,
computational modelling
Understanding neural networks through
intervention and modelling
Summary: Using fMRI with neuropsychological
patients and combined with TMS to show the
necessary role of different regions with cortical
networks, and using computational models to
define the functional roles of different regions.
Principal Investigators:
Professor G Humphreys with Dr H Allen,
Dr J Braithwaite, Dr C Mevorach,
Professor Z Kourtzi
Funding: BBSRC, MRC
Focus: Using neuropsychological-fMRI and
fMRI-TMS to decompose interacting neural
networks, computational modelling.
Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics
Example of psychophysical study with robotic
control of force
Light-point displays used for modelling human action
Example of a virtual reality system for visual
tactile interaction
Predictive perception and action
Summary: The role of the cerebellum in
forward planning of action studied through
robotic systems where force feedback
is varied.
Principal Investigators: Professors C Miall
and A Wing, Dr J Wyatt
Funding: BBSRC, Wellcome, HFSPO, EU, DTi
Focus: Perception and action
Techniques: Human psychophysics,
robotics, fMRI
The learning brain
Summary: Using and developing multi-modal
imaging techniques and multi-voxel classifier
systems to understand individual differences
in perception and learning, and using this to
guide procedures for maintaining plasticity
across the age ranges. We are also modelling
human action.
Principal Investigators: Professor Z Kourtzi
with Dr A Bagshaw, Dr H Allen,
Dr A Welchman, Professor A Wing
Funding: BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC
Focus: Understanding and exploiting
neural plasticity
Techniques: Multi-modal imaging, human
psychophysics, computational modelling
The feeling brain
Summary: Examining the functional and neural
mechanisms of sensory feedback in motor
control and the role of active movement in
sensory discrimination (haptic perception).
Principal Investigators: Professor A Wing,
with Professor G Humphreys, Dr R Roberts,
Professor C Miall, Dr A Welchman, Dr J Wyatt
Funding: BBSRC, EU
Focus: Understanding sensory-motor
interactions in movement control and touch
Techniques: Human psychophysics, robotic
systems, motion analysis, fMRI
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Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics
Example of EEG-FMRI used to localise the site
of epileptic seizures
Example of using human-robot interaction to
train a robotic system through mirroring action
Example output from neural network model
Multi-modal imaging techniques
Summary: We are developing procedures for
multi-modal imaging, combining the time course
of EEG with spatial resolution of MRI, and
combined MRI and Trans-cranial Magnetic
Stimulation to provide improved analyses of
neurological disorders and ageing.
Principal Investigators: Dr T Arvenitis with
Dr A Bagshaw, Professor Z Kourtzi
Funding: BBSRC, EPSRC, EU
Focus: Developing techniques for multi-model
imaging, combining fMRI, EEG, diffusion tensor
imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy
(MRS), applied to understanding cognition after
brain injury, epilepsy, in adults and children.
Cognitive robotics
Summary: Combining the development of
robotic systems with human psychophysical
studies in order to optimise robotic function
while also learning about human systems by
testing in robotic models. Also the application
of robotic systems to rehabilitation.
Principal Investigators: Dr J Wyatt
with Drs R Dearden and N Hawes,
and Professors A Sloman, G Humphreys,
C Miall
Funding: EPSRC, EU, NERC
Focus: Development of active robotic systems
Techniques: Computer science, Artificial
Intelligence, Computational modelling,
Machine Learning
Computational Psychology Lab (CPL)
Summary: We develop mathematical and
computational models of psychological
phenomena – including human visual attention,
the selection of action and visually-guided
reaching and grasping.
Principal Investigators: Dr. Dietmar Heinke
with Professor Glyn Humphreys
Funding: EPSRC, ESRC, BBSRC
Focus: Development of active robotic systems
Techniques: neural computation, agent-based
modelling, cognitive robotics, behavioural
experiments
Focus: Visual Object Recognition,
Visual Attention, Visual Affordances,
Visual movement control, Social Interactions
Web-pages: http://dietmar-heinke.co.uk/,
www.comp-psych.bham.ac.uk/
Computational Neuroscience and
School
Cognitive
of Biosciences
Robotics
Our research groups
The Centre will bring together six current research groups
along with an investment in three new teams (10 posts)
through the University’s Strategic Development fund.
The new teams are scheduled for appointment
over the period 2010–2012.
Current groups are as follows:
Professors Humphreys and Riddoch, working
on neuropsychology, neurorehabilitation and
functional brain imaging of vision and attention;
Professors Miall and Wing, leading figures
in human motor control; Professor Kourtzi,
Drs Arvenitis, Bagshaw, Derbyshire, Hansen,
Mevorach, Rotshtein and Welchman working
on neuro-imaging methods, visual plasticity,
visual control of action and learning; Professor
Kourtzi, Drs Allen and Heinke, working on
the computational neuroscience of ageing;
Drs Wyatt, Schofield, Dearden and Hawes
who work on cognitive robotics and visual
perception. Dr Tino, Professor Kourtzi,
Dr Dearden and Professor Jeffreys working
on machine learning for intepretation of
imaging and EEG data.
The Centre acts as the hub for a number
of independent research fellows including
a Royal Society Newton Fellow (Dr Jie Siu),
a BBSRC David Phillips Fellow (Dr Andrew
Welchman), Leverhulme Trust and British
Academy research fellows (Drs Pia Rotshtein
and Roberta Roberts) and Roberts research
fellows (Allen, Bagshaw, Braithwaite, Hansen).
Leading players in Birmingham (Professors
Glyn Humphreys, Zoe Kourtzi, Dr Ian Apperly,
Dr Andrew Welchman) have won prestigious
personal awards (BPS President’s Award and
Cognitive Psychology Prize, Vision Science
Society Young Investigator, Experimental
Psychology Prize, von Humboldt Fellowship,
Pfizer and Attemto prizes).
There are Royal Society collaborative grants
(Humphreys, Heinke) with leading computational
and cognitive neuroscience groups in Barcelona
and Beijing, and two EU training networks and
HFSPO grants which include collaborations
with the Max Planck Institute for Biological
Cybernetics (Tübingen), and with computational
neuroscientists at Amsterdam, Antwerp,
Barcelona, Ben Sheeva Israel, and Johns
Hopkins Baltimore, Marseille, Paris and
University College London.
The Director of the Centre, Professor Glyn
Humphreys, is a Fellow of the British Academy
and holds a Royal Society Wolfson Merit Award.
The incoming groups will bring in additional new
expertise in: computational neuroscience and
brain-computer interfaces, functional MRI (fMRI)
and EEG methods development and cognitive
robotics, to add to our already strong
internationally-competitive base.
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Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics
Who will benefit from the Centre?
Research within the CN-CR Centre is
relevant to a wide range of user groups:
n stroke victims, individuals with traumatic
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brain injury and degenerative disease
(eg, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease)
neurology, geriatric medicine, neuroradiology, medical physics
brain rehabilitation services (physiotherapy,
occupational therapy, speech therapy)
designers of computer-assisted devices
and environments
designers of virtual reality training
systems, serious gaming
designers of intelligent robotic
systems, automated vehicles
Computational Neuroscience and Cognitive Robotics
Research-led teaching
CN-CR is a leading centre for training in the field of computational
neuroscience (ranging from modelling neuronal data to brain
imaging and cognitive rehabilitation) and cognitive robotics.
There are currently 40 PhD students associated
with the Centre and the Centre is developing
a new Masters programme (MRes) in CN-CR,
which offers unique training spanning both
neuroscience and robotics. There are
associated MRes courses in Brain Imaging
and MSc courses in Natural Computation.
Learn more
n Professor Glyn Humphreys, Cognitive
Psychology, g.w.humphreys@bham.ac.uk
n Professor Chris Miall, Head of
Psychology, r.c.miall@bham.ac.uk
nDr Jeremy Wyatt, School of Computer
Science, j.l.wyatt@bham.ac.uk
n Carly Talbot, Administrative enquiries,
c.m.talbot@bham.ac.uk
tel: +44 (0)121 414 2752
www.cncr.bham.ac.uk
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Edgbaston, Birmingham,
B15 2TT, United Kingdom
www.bham.ac.uk
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School of Biosciences