Giorgio Ascoli Home Page

Giorgio Ascoli

University Professor, Molecular Neuroscience Department

Founding Director, Center for Neural Informatics, Structures, & Plasticity

^{I am the head of the Computational
Neuroanatomy

Group, one of the labs in the Center for
Neural Informatics, Structures, and Plasticity (CN3)
at the Krasnow Institute. The main effort in my lab
is to connect the cellular organization of brain
networks to cognitive functions such as learning and
memory. My laboratory hosts and curates a central
inventory of digitally reconstructed neurons in
NeuroMorpho.Org.}^We^{also

model neuronal morphology (the "shape" of brain
cells) and its influence on network connectivity and
electrophysiological activity. We built a
three-dimensional model of the hippocampus
based in part on the classification and connectivity
of}^{hippocampal neuron types, which we
are actively organizing into the Hippocampome
knowledge base. Another product of our group is L-Neuron, a
modeling tool that generates and describes realistic
neurons.

I am interested in anatomically plausible neural
networks and autobiographic memory. For an early
description of this field, start with this
review

article from 1999. I also have edited a scientific

book that defines Computational Neuroanatomy
in broad terms.

My main long-term scientific and philosophical goal
consists in establishing a working model for the
highest cognitive functions such as human
consciousness. My current consciousness model is
fundamentally based on associative learning. If you
want to download the zipped postscript version of
one of my papers on the subject, click here.
If you think that consciousness is and will forever
remain a mystery that science cannot solve, see my

response. Finally, if you wonder what
neuroanatomy has to do with consciousness, you might
find an answer here.
My book, "Trees of the Brain, Roots of the Mind,"
will be published by M.I.T. press in 2015.

On the experimental side, my research involvement is
primarily in neuroanatomy, but my scientific
background is biochemistry. As a researcher at the
former Laboratory of Adaptive Systems of the N.I.H.,
I worked on the structural characterization of a
learning-associated neuronal protein, Calexcitin,
and on the Prion protein, the infective agent of Mad
Cow disease. I received my M.Sc. (Laurea) from the
University of Pisa (yes, the leaning tower) and my
Ph.D. from the Scuola
Normale Superiore, in Italy, where I
investigated drug-protein binding.

If you are interested in my research, you can find
my CV with a list of publications here.}

Collaborative Environment

^{We have a very active laboratory with
undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral fellows
collaborating on many different projects. Our
intellectual endeavors include individual and team
meetings, collaborative teleconferences, weekly
seminars, academic training, and much more. We also
have social events like annual lab parties,
bootcamps, group hikes, and brown bag lunches. Check
on the CN3 website for available positions.}

Teaching

^{I enjoy teaching
graduate courses and I welcome Neuroscience,
Psychology, Bioinformatics, Biology, Bioengineering,
and Information Technology students interested in
neuroinformatics and computational neuroanatomy to
attend my classes. All students in the greater
Washington DC area who wish to visit my Krasnow
laboratory are strongly encouraged to contact me (thesis slots
available!).}

Personal Side

^{I have four kids and a wife, making life at home
almost as complicated as my lab. My wife, Rebecca
Goldin, is a professor in mathematics at GMU.}

Krasnow Institute

^{for Advanced Study}