Andreas K. Engel

Andreas Karl Engel (born 7 January 1961) is a German neuroscientist. He is the director of the Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE).

Life

Andreas Engel studied medicine and philosophy at Saarland University, Homburg, at the Technical University of Munich, and at the Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany.[1][2][3][4] After his medical exams (German Staatsexamen), he received his Doctor of Medicine (Dr. med.) from the Technical University Munich in 1987.

In 1987–1995 Engel was a post-doctoral fellow with Wolf Singer at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Frankfurt, Germany. From 1996-2000, Engel headed a research group at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research which was funded by the Heisenberg Program of the German Research Foundation (DFG). Between fall 1997 and summer 1998, he also was affiliated as a Daimler-Benz Fellow to the Berlin Institute for Advanced Study.

From 2000-2002, he worked at the Jülich Research Centre as head of the Cellular Neurobiology Group at the Institute for Medicine. In 2002, he was appointed to the Chair of Neurophysiology at the UKE. Engel is a member of the Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg. Since 2011, he is the coordinator of Collaborative Research Centre SFB 936 "Multi-Site Communication in the Brain" (with C. Gerloff, Dept. of Neurology, UKE).[5]

Research

Andreas Engel has become known by his work on the so-called "binding problem".[6][7] His research focuses on the hypothesis that temporal synchrony serves for dynamic coordination of signals in the brain. In addition to working on the experimental validation of this hypothesis, Engel pursues research on its cognitive and theoretical implications.

As a postdoctoral researcher with Wolf Singer at the Max Planck Institute, Engel was involved in studies that demonstrated the relevance of neural synchrony, in particular of so-called gamma waves, for processing of perceptual information. In particular, the group provided evidence that temporal correlations can serve for the binding of features into coherent sensory representations.[8] In addition to addressing the relevance of synchrony and neuronal oscillations in the visual system, the work of Engel's group yielded evidence for a relation between neural synchrony and visual awareness. In addition, Engel and coworkers contributed to demonstrating a functional role of neural synchrony for sensorimotor coupling.

In the past 15 years, Engel's group has expanded their work to the human brain, using EEG and MEG in combination with source modeling techniques.[9] The results of these studies demonstrate the importance of neuronal oscillations and synchrony for perceptual processing,[10][11] attention,[12] working memory,[13] decision-making and consciousness.[14][15][16] Recent work of the group on the interaction of visual, auditory and tactile systems suggests a role of temporal binding for multisensory integration.[17] The group has developed novel methods for the electrophysiological analysis of resting state network activity.[18] Engel's group also applies these approaches for the study of network malfunction in patients with movement disorders, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia, in studies on pain, and altered networks after early sensory deprivation.[19] Engel also explores implications of these neurophysiogical results for theories of perception, cognition and action.[20] A major focus of his work are the implications of the studies on neural synchrony for understanding the neural correlates of consciousness. Recent papers address links between neural dynamics and enactive views of cognition,[21] investigating the grounding of cognition in sensorimotor coupling.[22]

Honors and awards

Selected publications
  • Gray CM, König P, Engel AK, Singer W (March 1989). "Oscillatory responses in cat visual cortex exhibit inter-columnar synchronization which reflects global stimulus properties". Nature. 338 (6213): 334–7. doi:10.1038/338334a0. PMID 2922061.
  • Engel AK, König P, Kreiter AK, Singer W (May 1991). "Interhemispheric synchronization of oscillatory neuronal responses in cat visual cortex". Science. 252 (5009): 1177–9. doi:10.1126/science.252.5009.1177. PMID 2031188. S2CID 6520820.
  • Munk MH, Roelfsema PR, König P, Engel AK, Singer W (April 1996). "Role of reticular activation in the modulation of intracortical synchronization". Science. 272 (5259): 271–4. doi:10.1126/science.272.5259.271. PMID 8602512. S2CID 10399718.
  • Roelfsema PR, Engel AK, König P, Singer W (January 1997). "Visuomotor integration is associated with zero time-lag synchronization among cortical areas". Nature. 385 (6612): 157–61. doi:10.1038/385157a0. PMID 8990118.
  • Engel AK, Fries P, Singer W (October 2001). "Dynamic predictions: oscillations and synchrony in top-down processing". Nature Reviews. Neuroscience. 2 (10): 704–16. doi:10.1038/35094565. PMID 11584308.
  • Engel AK, Singer W (January 2001). "Temporal binding and the neural correlates of sensory awareness". Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 5 (1): 16–25. doi:10.1016/S1364-6613(00)01568-0. PMID 11164732.
  • Womelsdorf T, Schoffelen JM, Oostenveld R, et al. (June 2007). "Modulation of neuronal interactions through neuronal synchronization" (PDF). Science. 316 (5831): 1609–12. doi:10.1126/science.1139597. PMID 17569862.
  • Siegel M, Donner TH, Oostenveld R, Fries P, Engel AK (November 2008). "Neuronal synchronization along the dorsal visual pathway reflects the focus of spatial attention". Neuron. 60 (4): 709–19. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2008.09.010. PMID 19038226.
  • Donner TH, Siegel M, Fries P, Engel AK (September 2009). "Buildup of choice-predictive activity in human motor cortex during perceptual decision making". Current Biology. 19 (18): 1581–5. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2009.07.066. hdl:1721.1/96198. PMID 19747828.
  • Hipp JF, Engel AK, Siegel M (January 2011). "Oscillatory synchronization in large-scale cortical networks predicts perception". Neuron. 69 (2): 387–96. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2010.12.027. hdl:1721.1/92314. PMID 21262474.
  • Supp GG, Siegel M, Hipp JF, Engel AK (December 2011). "Cortical hypersynchrony predicts breakdown of sensory processing during loss of consciousness". Current Biology. 21 (23): 1988–93. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2011.10.017. PMID 22100063.
  • Siegel M, Donner TH, Engel AK (February 2012). "Spectral fingerprints of large-scale neuronal interactions". Nature Reviews. Neuroscience. 13 (2): 121–34. doi:10.1038/nrn3137. PMID 22233726.
  • Hipp JF, Hawellek DJ, Corbetta M, Siegel M, Engel AK (June 2012). "Large-scale cortical correlation structure of spontaneous oscillatory activity". Nature Neuroscience. 15 (6): 884–90. doi:10.1038/nn.3101. PMC 3861400. PMID 22561454.
  • Engel AK, Maye A, Kurthen M, König P (May 2013). "Where's the action? The pragmatic turn in cognitive science". Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 17 (5): 202–9. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2013.03.006. PMID 23608361.
  • Engel AK, Gerloff C, Hilgetag CC, Nolte G (November 2013). "Intrinsic coupling modes: multiscale interactions in ongoing brain activity". Neuron. 80 (4): 867–86. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2013.09.038. PMID 24267648.

Notes
  1. VIAF: 160232314
  2. website of Andreas K. Engel
  3. Google Scholar
  4. Neurotree
  5. See database of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and website of the SFB 936
  6. See Treisman A (April 1996). "The binding problem". Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 6 (2): 171–8. doi:10.1016/s0959-4388(96)80070-5. PMID 8725958.
  7. von der Malsburg, C (1999). "The what and why of binding: the modeler's perspective". Neuron. 24 (1): 95–104, 111–125. doi:10.1016/s0896-6273(00)80825-9. PMID 10677030.
  8. Reviewed e.g. by Tallon-Baudry C, Bertrand O (1999). "Oscillatory gamma activity in humans and its role in object representation". Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 3 (4): 151–162. doi:10.1016/S1364-6613(99)01299-1. PMID 10322469.
  9. See e.g. Michel, CM; Muray, MM; Lantz, G; Gonzalez, S; Spinelli, L; Grave de Peralta, R (2004). "EEG source imaging". Clinical Neurophysiology. 115 (10): 2195–2222. doi:10.1016/j.clinph.2004.06.001. PMID 15351361.
  10. See Singer, W (2011). "Dynamic formation of functional networks by synchronization". Neuron. 69 (2): 191–193. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2011.01.008. PMID 21262459.
  11. Welberg, L (2011). "Networking improves performance". Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 12 (3): 121. doi:10.1038/nrn3005. PMID 21433323.
  12. Fries, P (2009). "Neuronal gamma-band synchronization as a fundamental process in cortical computation". Annual Review of Neuroscience. 32: 209–224. doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.051508.135603. PMID 19400723. S2CID 6281165.
  13. Fell, J; Axmacher, N (2011). "The role of phase synchronization in memory processes". Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 12 (2): 105–118. doi:10.1038/nrn2979. PMID 21248789.
  14. See Gross, J; Ploner, M (2009). "Perceptual decisions: from sensory signals to behavior". Current Biology. 19 (18): R847–R849. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2009.07.023. PMID 19788877.
  15. See Maia, TV; Cleeremans, A (2005). "Consciousness: converging insights from connectionist modeling and neuroscience". Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 9 (8): 397–404. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2005.06.016. PMID 16005677.
  16. Mudrik, L; Faivre, N; Koch, C (2014). "Information integration without awareness". Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 18 (9): 488–496. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2014.04.009. PMID 24933626.
  17. Discussed in Sarko, DK; Ghose, D; Wallace, MT (2013). "Convergent approaches toward the study of multisensory perception". Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. 7: 81. doi:10.3389/fnsys.2013.00081. PMC 3820972. PMID 24265607.
  18. Hipp, JF; Hawellek, D; Corbetta, M; Siegel, M; Engel, AK (2012). "Large-scale cortical correlation structure of spontaneous oscillatory activity". Nature Neuroscience. 15 (6): 884–890. doi:10.1038/nn.3101. PMC 3861400. PMID 22561454.
  19. Discussed in Uhlhaas, P; Singer, W (2012). "Neuronal dynamics and neuropsychiatric disorders: Toward a translational paradigm for dysfunctional large-scale networks". Neuron. 75 (6): 963–980. doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2012.09.004. PMID 22998866.
  20. Reviewed e.g. Uhlhaas, PJ; Pipa, G; Lima, B; Melloni, L; Neuenschwander, S; Nikolić, D; Singer, W (2009). "Neural synchrony in cortical networks: history, concept and current status". Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience. 3: 17. doi:10.3389/neuro.07.017.2009. PMC 2723047. PMID 19668703.
  21. As developed by O'Regan JK, Noë A (October 2001). "A sensorimotor account of vision and visual consciousness". The Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 24 (5): 939–73, discussion 973–1031. doi:10.1017/s0140525x01000115. PMID 12239892. S2CID 22606536.
  22. See e.g. Buhrmann, T; DiPaolo, EA; Barandiaran, X (2013). "A dynamical systems account of sensorimotor contingencies". Frontiers in Psychology. 4 (285): 285. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00285. PMC 3664438. PMID 23750143.


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