Primary Research Area:

Biomedical Engineering including Image Processing and Analysis, Neurobiology, Physiological Systems

Research Interests:

Neurophysiology, mechanisms of neurocomputation in the somatosensory nervous system.

Education:

BS in Biology, Davidson College, 1980
MS in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics, UNC Chapel Hill, 1983
PhD in Biomedical Engineering and Mathematics, UNC Chapel Hill, 1989

About Dr. Mark Tommerdahl:

Dr. Tommerdahl's intrests are in Somatosensory cortical dynamics and neurocomputation in living neural networks. Methods developed and employed towards this end include methods for the acquisition and analysis of neurophysiological (both in the in vivo and in vitro preparations), human psychophysical, and metabolic mapping (2DG) data as well as methods of controlling a number of (computer controlled) devices for delivery of vibrotactile, constant velocity skin brushing, multi-channel electrocutaneous, and thermal stimuli to the skin of experimental subjects. Most recently, a system for optical imaging of intrinsic signals in the somatosensory cortex was developed and interfaced to the existing neurophysiological apparatus. The primary goal is to use these different methodologies to study the response of the somatosensory cortex to tactile stimulation and more specifically, it is to analyze the contributions of the effects of prior stimulation (or the cortical history) on the responsivity of the cortex.

Recent Publications:

1. Tommerdahl M, Simons S, Chiu J, Favorov OV and Whitsel BL (2005). Ipsilateral influence on the SI response to contralateral stimulation in the squirrel monkey. Submitted.
2. Favorov O, Chiu J, Simons S, Whitsel B and Tommerdahl M. (2005) The second somatosensory cortical response to contralateral vs. ipsilateral stimulation of the cat forepaw. Submitted.
3. Sankaran S, McGlone F, Trulsson M, Westling G, and Tommerdahl M. (2005) SI and SII sensory cortical responses to microstimulation of single mechanoreceptive afferents: a human fMRI study. Submitted.
4. Tannan V, Dennis RG and Tommerdahl M (2005). Stimulus-dependent changes in spatial acuity. Submitted.
5. Tommerdahl M., Chiu J, Whitsel BL., and Favorov O. (2005) Minicolumnar patterns in the global cortical response to sensory stimulation. In: Neocortical Modularity and the Cell Minicolumn, Manuel F. Casanova, M.D., ed., NOVA, In press.
6. Chiu J, Tommerdahl M, Whitsel B and Favorov O. (2005) Stimulus-dependent spatial patterns of response in SI cortex. BMC Neuroscience, In Press.
7. Simons S, Tannan V, Chiu J, Favorov O, Whitsel B, and Tommerdahl M. (2005) Amplitude-Dependent Response of SI Cortex to Vibrotactile Stimulation. BMC Neuroscience, Jun 21; 6:43.
8. Tommerdahl M, Simons S, Chiu J, Favorov OV, and Whitsel BL. (2005) Response of SI cortex to ipsilateral, contralateral and bilateral flutter stimulation in the cat. BMC Neuroscience, Jun 21;6(1):43.
9. Tommerdahl M, Hester KD, Felix ER, Hollins M, Favorov OV, Quibrera PM and Whitsel BL. (2005) Human vibrotactile frequency discriminative capacity after adaptation to 25 Hz or 200 Hz stimulation. Brain Research, In Press.
10. Tannan V, Dennis R and Tommerdahl M. (2005) A novel device for delivering two-site vibrotactile stimuli to the skin. J Neuroscience Methods, Jun 18.
11. Lee J, Tommerdahl M, Favorov OV, and Whitsel BL. (2005) Small-fiber afferent drive impairs the capacity of astrocytes to buffer dorsal horn [K+]o and [Glu]o. J Neurophysiology, Jul; 94(1):852-64.
12. Tommerdahl M, Simons S, Chiu J, Tannan V, Favorov OV, and Whitsel BL. (2005) Response of SII cortex to ipsilateral, contralateral and bilateral flutter stimulation in the cat. BMC Neuroscience, Feb 14;6(1):11.
13. Tommerdahl M., Favorov OV and Whitsel BL. (2005) Effects of high-frequency skin stimulation on SI cortex: Mechanisms and functional implications. Somatosensory and Motor Research, In Press.
14. Tommerdahl M, Favorov O, Chiu J, and Whitsel BL. Optical intrinsic signal imaging of ipsilateral, contralateral and bilateral forelimb inputs to cat SII. Neuroscience Abstracts 642.12, 2004

Date of Last Modification: 8/25/2005

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