Christopher Harris, MSc

Brighton, United Kingdom

Research field: Biological Sciences - Neurobiology
electrophysiology, neural networks, pattern generation, dopamine, reinforcement learning, MATLAB, web development

Publications

Conference Proceedings (8)
- CA Harris, CB Buckley, T Nowotny et al. (2011) Reward and dopamine enhance network correlation and motor output in an intact brain on a multielectrode array. In 41st Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
  http://www.abstractsonline.com/Plan/V...
- CA Harris, PA Passaro, I Kemenes et al. (2010) A Multielectrode Array Analysis of the Snail Brain. In 7th International Meeting on Substrate-Integrated Microelectrode Arrays.
  http://www.nmi.de/meameeting2010/imag...
- JC Skinner, CA Harris, RJ Prance et al. (2010) Extracellular recordings of neurological signals using capacitively coupled ultra high impedance electric potential sensors. In Oxford University Institute of Physics 2010 conference.
- CA Harris, LL Kilarski (2009) A Novel, Web-Based Approach To Public Participation in Neuromodulation Research. In 9th World Conference of the International Neuromodulation Society.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfNOY-...
- PA Passaro, CA Harris, AK Seth et al. (2008) Functional connectivity, behavioural state, and plasticity analysis of multi-unit electrophysiology data from semi-intact snail brains using self-organizing maps and Granger causality. In 38th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
  http://www.abstractsonline.com/viewer...
- CA Harris, PA Passaro, P Husbands et al. (2008) Novel techniques for multi-electrode array recording of the Lymnaea stagnalis CNS during fictive feeding and appetitive conditioning. In 38th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
  http://www.abstractsonline.com/viewer...
- PA Passaro, CA Harris, V Marra et al. (2007) A multi electrode array analysis of the Lymnaea stagnalis feeding system. In 37th Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
  http://sfn.abstractsonline.com/viewer...
- PA Passaro, CA Harris, A Seth et al. Spike sorting and functional connectivity analysis using self-organizing maps and granger causality. Frontiers in Neuroinformatics. In Neuroinformatics 2008.
  http://frontiersin.org/conferences/in...
Journal Article (1)
- CA Harris, PA Passaro, I Kemenes et al. (2010) Sensory driven multi-neuronal activity and associative learning monitored in an intact CNS on a multielectrode array, 171-178. In Journal of Neuroscience Methods 186 (2).
  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19...

Awards and Grants

May 2010

Roche Continents Workshop Bursary View website
May 2009

International Neuromodulation Society Travel Grant View website
Apr 2008

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council PhD Studentship Award View website

Biographical Information

I'm a doctoral student in neuroscience working at the University of Sussex. My research objective is to understand how adaptive patterns of neural and behavioural activity are generated, selected and maintained. I am particularly interested in how dopamine modulates goal-oriented activity in complex neural circuits. During my doctoral studies at the University of Sussex I have developed a new multi-electrode technique for interfacing with an intact invertebrate brain (Harris et al., 2010, J. Neurosci. Methods). This required extensive problem-solving, both experimentally and in MATLAB, as well as the incorporation of a large body of existing electrophysiological methods and models. I am currently using the new technique to study dopamine-mediated adaptation of the brain’s feeding circuit to the availability of food (Harris et al., accepted for review in Current Biology). I expect to submit my PhD thesis in the first half of 2012 and am now looking for a postdoctoral research position.