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Jan Kubanek, PhD

Languages spoken: Czech, English, French, German, Spanish

Academic Information

Departments Adjunct - Psychiatry

Research Interests

  • Endocrinology

Kubanek J., Brown J., Ye P., Butts Pauly K., Moore T., Newsome W. Transcranial ultrasound selectively biases decision-making in primates. BioRxiv 486134 (2019).

Kubanek J., Shukla P., Das A., Baccus S., Goodman M. Ultrasound elicits behavioral responses through mechanical effects on neurons and ion channels in a simple nervous system. The Journal of Neuroscience, 1458-17 (2018).

Kubanek J. Neuromodulation with transcranial focused ultrasound. Neurosurgical Focus44 (2018).

Kubanek J. Optimal decision-making and matching are tied through diminishing returns.PNAS, doi:10.1073/pnas.1703440114 (2017).

Kubanek J., Shi J., Marsh J., Chen D., Deng C., Cui J. Ultrasound modulates ion channel currents. Scientific Reports 6 (2016).

Kubanek J., Li J., Snyder L.H. Motor role of parietal cortex in a monkey model of hemi- spatial neglect. PNAS. 112, E2067-72 (2015).

Kubanek J., Snyder L.H. Reward-based Decision Signals in Parietal Cortex Are Partially Embodied. The Journal of Neuroscience, 35(12):4869–81 (2015).

Kubanek J., Snyder L.H. Reward size governs repeat-switch decisions and strongly mod- ulates the activity of neurons in parietal cortex. Cerebral Cortex (2015).

Kubanek J., Schalk G. NeuralAct: A tool to visualize electrocorticographic (ECoG) activity on a three-dimensional model of the cortex. Neuroinformatics, 13, 167-74 (2015).

Kubanek J., Snyder L.H, Abrams R.A. Rewards and punishments act as distinct factors in guiding behavior. Cognition, 139, 154–167 (2015).

Kubanek J., Snyder L.H. Matching Behavior as a Tradeoff Between Reward Maximization and Demands on Neural Computation. F1000Research (2015).

Kubanek J., Hill J., Snyder L.H, Schalk G. Cortical alpha activity reflects the degree of confidence in committing to an action. Frontiers in Neuroscience 9, 243 (2015).

Kubanek J., Snyder L.H., Brunton B.W., Brody C., Schalk G. A low frequency oscillatory neural signal in humans encodes a developing decision variable. NeuroImage, 83, 795808 (2013).

Kubanek J., Wang C., Snyder L.H. Neuronal responses to target onset in oculomotor and somatomotor parietal circuits differ markedly in a choice task. Journal of Neurophysiology110.10, 2247-2256 (2013).

Kubanek J., Brunner P., Gunduz A., Poeppel D., Schalk G. The Tracking of Speech Envelope in the Human Cortex. PLOS ONE 8, no. 1 (2013).

Kubanek J., Miller K.J., Ojemann J.G., Wolpaw J.R., Schalk G. Decoding flexion of indi- vidual fingers using electrocorticographic signals in humans. Journal of Neural Engineering, vol. 6 pp. 66001 (2009).

Schalk G., Kubanek J., Miller K.J., Anderson N., Leuthardt E.C., Ojemann J.G., Lim- brick D., Moran D., Gerhardt L.A., Wolpaw J.R. Decoding Two-Dimensional Movement Trajectories Using Electrocorticographic Signals in Humans. Journal of Neural Engineering, 4, 264-275 (2007).

Research Statement

Mental and neurological disorders are the world's leading cause of disability. Drug treatments have often been inadequate and have contributed to an alarming addiction situation. We need to be able to diagnose and treat the neural source of brain disorders. Toward that goal, our lab develops:

  1. Minimally invasive methods that enable to modulate individual neural circuits transiently and systematicall—one by one—until identifying the set that leads to a relief of a given sign or symptom.
  2. Methods for durable treatment of the involved circuit activity and connectivity.

This work will enable us to move beyond prescribing systemic drugs by addressing the source of a problem in each individual. At the basic science level, the ability to modulate (and in particular, suppress) neural circuits noninvasively and thereby systematically will lead to new, causal studies of how individual brain circuits are involved in specific behaviors in humans.

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Riis T (01/01/2022). Effective Ultrasonic Stimulation in Human Peripheral Nervous System. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng, 69, 15-22.
  2. Riis TS (12/01/2021). Acoustic properties across the human skull. Ultrasonics, 119, 106591.
  3. Gaur P Casey KM Kubanek J Li N Mohammadjavadi M Saenz Y Glover GH Bouley DM Pauly KB (02/21/2020). Histologic safety of transcranial focused ultrasound neuromodulation and magnetic resonance acoustic radiation force imaging in rhesus macaques and sheep. Brain Stimul, 13, 804-814.
  4. Kubanek J Shukla P Das A Baccus SA Goodman MB (11/01/2018). Ultrasound Elicits Behavioral Responses through Mechanical Effects on Neurons and Ion Channels in a Simple Nervous System. 38, 3081-3091.
  5. Kubanek J (11/01/2018). Neuromodulation with transcranial focused ultrasound. Neurosurg Focus, 44, E14.
  6. Kubanek J (06/01/2018). Optimal decision making and matching are tied through diminishing returns. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 114, 8499-8504.
  7. Kubanek J Shi J Marsh J Chen D Deng C Cui J (01/01/2018). Ultrasound modulates ion channel currents. Sci Rep, 6, 24170.
  8. Kubanek J Snyder LH (01/01/2018). Reward Size Informs Repeat-Switch Decisions and Strongly Modulates the Activity of Neurons in Parietal Cortex. 27, 447-459.
  9. Kubanek J Snyder LH Abrams RA (12/01/2016). Reward and punishment act as distinct factors in guiding behavior. Cognition, 139, 154-67.
  10. Kubanek J Schalk G (02/01/2016). NeuralAct: A Tool to Visualize Electrocortical (ECoG) Activity on a Three-Dimensional Model of the Cortex. Neuroinformatics, 13, 167-74.
  11. Kubanek J Snyder LH (12/01/2015). Matching Behavior as a Tradeoff Between Reward Maximization and Demands on Neural Computation. F1000Res, 4, 147.
  12. Kubanek J Hill NJ Snyder LH Schalk G (08/01/2015). Cortical alpha activity predicts the confidence in an impending action. Front Neurosci, 9, 243.
  13. Kubanek J Mooshagian E (08/01/2015). Cognitive and action-based aspects of developing decisions in parietal cortex. 35, 8382-3.
  14. Kubanek J Snyder LH (06/01/2015). Reward-based decision signals in parietal cortex are partially embodied. 35, 4869-81.
  15. Kubanek J Li JM Snyder LH (06/01/2015). Motor role of parietal cortex in a monkey model of hemispatial neglect. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 112, E2067-72.
  16. Kubanek J Snyder LH Brunton BW Brody CD Schalk G (06/01/2014). A low-frequency oscillatory neural signal in humans encodes a developing decision variable. Neuroimage, 83, 795-808.
  17. Kubnek J Miller KJ Ojemann JG Wolpaw JR Schalk G (02/01/2010). Decoding flexion of individual fingers using electrocorticographic signals in humans. J Neural Eng, 6, 066001.
  18. Schalk G Kubnek J Miller KJ Anderson NR Leuthardt EC Ojemann JG Limbrick D Moran D Gerhardt LA Wolpaw JR (08/01/2008). Decoding two-dimensional movement trajectories using electrocorticographic signals in humans. J Neural Eng, 4, 264-75.

Other

  1. Kubanek J Brunner P Gunduz A Poeppel D Schalk G (06/01/2013). The tracking of speech envelope in the human cortex. PLoS One (8, pp. e53398). PloS one.
  2. Kubanek J Kaplan DM (09/01/2012). Evidence for a decision variable in the human motor system. (32, pp. 8110-1). The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.