Matt Kaufman

I am a neuroscience post-doc at Stanford University, having just finished my PhD in the Neurosciences program. My interests center around using high-quality neural recordings and well-controlled behavior to pin down the dynamics of neural circuits.

I am in the lab of Krishna Shenoy, working on how the brain plans and executes movements. My most recent projects have been aimed at figuring out how the brain can prepare to make reaching movements while the arm remains still. In the process, we have investigated the relative roles of inhibitory and excitatory neurons, as well as taking a dynamical systems approach. In addition, I have been investigating a monkey model of decision-making, attempting to track the single-trial trajectories of the monkey's planning process.

As an undergrad, I did research with John Huguenard using computer simulations of the fast-spiking interneuron network which generates the gamma rhythm. Other previous work includes research with Brian Knutson using fMRI to examine anticipation, focusing on probability of receiving reward.

Here is a practical guide I compiled to writing a dissertation at Stanford using TeX. Also, here is an example document file.

Journal articles:

Diester I, Kaufman MT, Mogri M, Pashaie R, Goo W, Yizhar O, Ramakrishnan C, Deisseroth K, Shenoy KV (2011). An optogenetic toolbox designed for primates. Nature Neuroscience, 14(3):387-97.

Chestek CA, Gilja V, Nuyujukian P, Foster JD, Fan JM, Kaufman MT, Churchland MM, Rivera-Alvidrez Z, Cunningham JP, Ryu SI, Shenoy KV (2011). Long-term stability of neural prosthetic control signals from silicon cortical arrays in rhesus macaque motor cortex. Journal of Neural Engineering.

Kaufman MT, Churchland MM, Santhanam G, Yu BM, Afshar A, Ryu SI, Shenoy KV (2010). Roles of monkey premotor neuron classes in movement preparation and execution. Journal of Neurophysiology, 104(2):799-810.

Churchland MM, Cunningham JP, Kaufman MT, Ryu SI, Shenoy KV (2010). Cortical preparatory activity: Representation of movement or first cog in a dynamical machine? Neuron, 68:387-400.

Knutson B, Taylor J, Kaufman M, Peterson R, Glover G (2005). Distributed neural representation of expected value. Journal of Neuroscience, 25:4806-4812.

Choi D, Kaufman M, Langley P, Nejati N, Shapiro, D (2004). An architecture for persistent reactive behavior. Proceedings of the Third International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multi Agent Systems. New York: ACM Press.

Book chapters:

Shenoy KV, Kaufman MT, Sahani M, Churchland MM (2011). A dynamical systems view of motor preparation: Implications for neural prosthetic system design. Chapter in Progress in Brain Research: Enhancing Performance for Action and Perception, edited by Green A, Chapman E, Kalaska JF, Lepore F. Vol. 190. Elsevier.


Posters, etc.: Shenoy lab publications page

CV (.pdf)


matt235 AT stanford DOT edu