Behrad Noudoost, PhD, MD

Principal Investigator

Dr. Noudoost received his MD in 2002 from Isfahan University in Iran and then received his PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience from the Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences in Tehran, Iran. During his PhD, he studied the neural basis of object recognition with Dr. Hossein Esteky. Dr. Noudoost conducted his postdoctoral research on neural mechanisms of top-down control of cognitive functions with Dr. Tirin Moore at Stanford University. In 2013, he joined the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Montana State University as an Assistant Professor. He joined the Moran Eye Center as an Associate Professor starting August 2017. Dr. Noudoost's research aims at understanding the neural mechanisms and neuropharmacological basis of visual attention.

Curriculum Vitae

Behrad Noudoost, MD, PhD

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences Phone: (801) 585 6615

Moran Eye Center Email: behrad.noudoost@utah.edu

65 Mario Capecchi Dr,

Salt Lake City, UT 84132

Positions and Employment

2017- present Associate Professor

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

University of Utah

2013- 2017 Assistant Professor

Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience (CBN)

Montana State University (MSU)

2010- 2013	Research Associate Howard Hughes Medical Institute & Department of Neurobiology Stanford University, Stanford CA Supervisor: Professor Tirin Moore
2006- 2010	Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford CA Supervisor: Professor Tirin Moore
2002-2006	Graduate Student Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Tehran, Iran Supervisor: Professor Hossein Esteky

Education

2006- 2010	Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford CA
2002-2006	Ph.D. Cognitive Neuroscience Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences, Tehran, Iran
1994-2002	Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Honors and Awards

2014	MSU President's Research Award
2011	Finalist, Sammy Kuo Prize in Neuroscience, Stanford University
2006	International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) Research Fellowship

Grant History

Agency: National Institute of Health- R01 NEI

Status: Funded (#1R01EY026924);

Title: Understanding the prefrontal mechanisms involved in the enhancement and maintenance of visual signals

Role: Principal Investigator

Total Fund: $1,800,000

Project Period: 08/01/16- 07/31/21

Agency: National Science Foundation- BCS

Status: Funded (#BCS14322);

Title: Determining the neurons and neuromodulatory pathways underlying the prefrontal control of visual signals

Role: Principal Investigator

Total Fund: $435,996

Project Period: 08/15/14- 07/31/18

Agency: Whitehall Foundation

Status: Completed (#2014-05-18)

Title: Prefrontal contributions to synchronous and correlated activity within visual cortex

Role: Principal Investigator

Total Fund: $225,000

Project Period: 06/01/14- 05/31/17

Agency: National Science Foundation

Status: Funded (#1632738)

Title: RII Track-2 FEC: Neural basis of attention

Role: Non-EPSCoR collaborator; PI: Peter Tse.

Total Fund: $6,000,000. Funding cannot be used in the state of Utah.

Project Period: 09/01/2016- 08/31/2020

Publications

1. Akbarian A, Niknam K, Parsa M, Clark K, Noudoost B, Nategh N. Developing a Nonstationary Computational Framework with Application to Modeling Dynamic Modulations in Neural Spiking Responses. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 2017 Oct 13.
2. Merrikhi Y, Clark K, Albarran E, Parsa M, Zirnsak M, Moore T, Noudoost B. Spatial Working Memory Alters the Efficacy of Input to Visual Cortex. Nat Comm 2017; Apr 27; 8:15041. [Recommended by Faculty of 1000 Biology]
3. Noudoost B, Nategh N, Clark KL, Esteky H. Stimulus context alters neural representations of faces in inferotemporal cortex. J Neurophys 2017; Jan 117(1):336-347.
4. Clark KL, Squire RF, Merrikhi Y, Noudoost B. Visual attention: Linking prefrontal sources to neuronal and behavioral correlates. Prog Neurobiol 2015; Sep 132: 59-80.
5. Hu M, Clark KL, Gong X, Noudoost B, Li M, Moore T, Liang H. Copula regression analysis of simultaneously recorded frontal eye field and inferotemporal spiking activity during object-based working memory. J Neurosci 2015; 35(23): 8745-57.
6. Clark KL, Noudoost B. The role of prefrontal catecholamines in attention and working memory. Front Neural Circuits 2014; Apr 8: 8-33.
7. Zirnsak M, Steinmetz NA, Noudoost B, Xu K, Moore T. Visual space is compressed in prefrontal cortex before eye movements. Nature 2014; 507: 504-7.
8. Clark KL, Noudoost B, Moore T. Persistent spatial information in the frontal eye field during object-based short-term memory does not contribute to task performance. J Cogn Neurosci 2014; 26(6): 1292-9.
9. Noudoost B, Clark KL, Moore T. A distinct contribution of the frontal eye field to the visual representation of saccadic targets. J Neurosci 2014; 34:3678-98.
10. Squire RF, Noudoost B, Schafer RJ, Moore T. Prefrontal contributions to visual selective attention. Ann Rev Neurosci 2013; 36:451-66.
11. Soltani A, Noudoost B, Moore T. Dissociable dopaminergic control of saccadic target selection and its implications for reward modulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2013; 110: 3579-84.
12. Noudoost B, Esteky H. Neuronal correlates of view representation revealed by face view aftereffect. J Neurosci 2013; 33: 5761-72.
13. Noudoost B, Moore T. Parietal and prefrontal neurons driven to distraction. Nature Neurosci: News & Views 2013; 16(1): 8-9.
14. Clark KL, Noudoost B, Moore T. Persistent spatial information in the frontal eye field during object-based short-term memory. J Neurosci 2012; 32(32):10907-14.
15. Noudoost B, Moore T. The role of neuromodulators in selective visual attention. Trends Cogn Sci 2011; 15: 585-591.
16. Noudoost B, Moore T. Control of visual cortical signals by prefrontal dopamine. Nature 2011; 474(7351): 372-375. [Recommended by Faculty of 1000 Biology]
17. Noudoost B, Moore T. A reliable microinjectrode system for use in behaving monkeys. J Neurosci Methods 2011; 194(2): 218-223.
18. Noudoost B, Chang MC, Steinmetz NA, Moore T. Top-down control of visual attention. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2010; 20(2): 183-190.
19. Nilipour R, Saber GT, Noudoost B. Different profiles of verbal and nonverbal auditory impairment in cortical and subcortical lesions. Basic and Clinical Neuroscience 2010; 1(4): 14:24.
20. Noudoost B, Afraz SR, Vaziri-Pashkam M, Esteky H. Visual spatial integrity in the absence of splenium. Brain Res 2006; 1076(1): 177-186.
21. Noudoost B, Adibi M, Moeeny A, Esteky H. Configural and analytical processing of familiar and unfamiliar objects. Brain Res Cogn Brain Res 2005; 24(3): 436-441.
22. Nilipour R, Clarke S, Noudoost B, Saber GT, Najlerahim A. Response time as an index for selective auditory cognitive deficits. Acta Neurobiol Exp 2004; 64(2): 163-170.

Manuscripts in Preparation

1. Bahmani Z, Daliri MR, Merrikhi Y, Clark, K, Noudoost B. Working memory enhances cortical representations via spatially-specific coordination of spike times. Submitted to Neuron (under revision).
2. Dehaqani MRA, Vahabie A, Parsa MB, Noudoost B, Soltani A. Selective reduction in noise correlations contributes to an enhanced representation of saccadic targets in prefrontal neuronal ensembles. Submitted to Journal of Neuroscience (under revision).
3. Shams-Ahmar M, Karimi H, Parsa MB, Merrikhi Y, Ebrahimpour R, Noudoost B. Contributions of response magnitude and variability to the presaccadic enhancement of visual representations. In preparation.
4. Merrikhi Y, Clark K, Noudoost B. Interactions between top-down and bottom-up input alter noise correlations in extrastriate cortex. In preparation.

Book Chapters

1. Noudoost B, Albarran E, Moore T. Neural signatures, circuitry, and modulators of visual selective attention. The Cognitive Neurosciences-Fifth Edition, edited by Michael Gazzaniga and George Mangun, The MIT Press, 2014.
2. Clark KL, Noudoost B, Schafer RJ, Moore T. Neuronal mechanisms of attentional control: Frontal cortex. Handbook of Attention, edited by Sabine Kastner and Anna Nobre, Oxford, 2014.
3. Moore T, Schafer RJ, Noudoost B. Circuits of visual attention. Primate Neuroethology, edited by Michael Platt and Asif Ghazanfar, Elsevier, 2010.
4. Moore T, Noudoost B. Sensorimotor integration: Attention, premotor theory of. The New Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, edited by Larry Squire et al, Elsevier, 2008.

Selected Invited Talks

2013 Princeton University

2013 Riken Brain Science Institute

2013 Montana State University

2014 University of California, Santa Barbara

2016 Carnegie Mellon University

2016 University of Utah

2016 Albert Einstein Institution

2017 Yale University

2017 Johns Hopkins University

2017 Drexel University

Teaching

2013 IPM-GRAD Attention and eye movements Lecturer

2013 Seminar592 Topics in Neuroscience Instructor

2014 WWAMI532 Nervous system Guest Lecturer

2014 Seminar592 Topics in Neuroscience Instructor

2014 BioH313 Neurophysiology Guest Lecturer

2014 IPM-GRAD Attention and eye movements Lecturer

2015 BioH425 Sensory Neurophysiology Lecturer

2015 Seminar592 Topics in Neuroscience Instructor

2015 BioH313 Neurophysiology Lecturer & Organizer

2016 BioH425 Sensory Neurophysiology Lecturer

2016 BioH313 Neurophysiology Lecturer

2017 BioH425 Sensory Neurophysiology Lecturer

Professional Service

2014 - 2017 Graduate program coordinator, MSU CBN

2013- 2017 Seminar organizer, MSU CBN

2014 - 2016 Member of the IACUC, MSU

2015 Member of the faculty search committee, MSU CBN

Training and educational roles at MSU

Graduate advisor of three students and co-advisor of three students

Undergraduate advisor of two students

PhD committee member of five students

Graduate representative of two students

Selected Publications