Brief Biography
Barry E. Stein, Ph.D.(1971) Professor and Chair City University of New York. Our objective is to understand the neural basis by which the brain is able to integrate information from multiple senses. This process of multisensory integration is highly adaptive. It knits together information from different channels to allow the brain to amplify minimal signals and reduce ambiguity when detecting, identifying and reacting to environmental events. It is also critical to our seamless perceptual experiences. One practical objective has been to understand how the physiological properties of individual multisensory neurons, and networks of neurons, contribute to these functions. In trying to accomplish our overall aim of understanding the relationship between cellular processes and perception and behavior, we use multidisciplinary anatomical, physiological, behavioral and perceptual approaches. Our lab group has also had a longstanding interest in how the brain develops the capacity to synthesize information from different senses and, specifically, how early sensory experiences craft the circuits underlying multisensory integration to ensure that the resultant product is well adapted to the environment.