Kevan Martin

Position:
Professor Emeritus
Email:
Work phone:
41 44/ 635 30 51
Location:
As an undergraduate I majored in Psychology, Logic and Metaphysics, Physiology, and followed these with a Masters in Civil Engineering and a D.Phil. in Neurobiology. Not surprisingly, given this background that my passion is to understand how the structure of neocortex enables the functional complexity we see in our sensation, perception, cognition and action. My unifying ‘astonishing hypothesis’ is that my neocortex achieves its enormous range of competence through neural circuits that are basically the same as those found in the brain of a cat or a mouse. My ideas are kept grounded through decades-long discussions with Rodney Douglas, a lively bunch of critical young colleagues, and a resident flâneur. I explore many aspects of performance in search of an answer to the simple question: what is the relationship between thought and movement? Some of my personal performances are as a member of 4-Brain, a formation skydiving team that trains in Switzerland, and in riding a 1936 vintage motorcycle.

Main Projects

Teaching

INI-434, 227-1049-00 Block: Insights Into Neuroinformatics

Publications

2017

2015

2014

2013

2012

  • Douglas, Rodney J. and Martin, Kevan A.C. Behavioral architecture of the cortical sheet, Current Biology, Vol 22:(No 24) 1033-1038, 2012 pdf
  • Ohana, O and Portner, H and Martin, KAC Fast Recruitment of Recurrent Inhibition in the Cat Visual Cortex., PLoS ONE, 7:(7) 1-18, 2012 pdf

2011

2010

  • da Costa, N M and Fuersinger, D and Martin, K A C The synaptic organization of the claustral projection to the cat's visual cortex, Journal of Neuroscience, 30:(39) 13166-13170, 2010 pdf
  • da Costa, N M and Martin, K A C Whose cortical column would that be?, Frontiers in neuroanatomy(4) 16, 2010 pdf
  • Heinzle, J and Hepp, K and Martin, K A C A biologically realistic cortical model of eye movement control in reading, Psychological Review, 117:(3) 808-830, 2010 pdf
  • Martin, K A C Taking animal rights personally, book review of: An Odyssey with Animals: A Veterinarian’s Reflections on the Animal Rights & Welfare Debate by Adrian R Morrison, Oxford University Press, 2009, Nature Neuroscience, 13: 1301, 2010 pdf
  • Martin, K A C and Scott, K Editorial Overview: Current Opinion in Neurobiology - Sensory systems, Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 20:(3) 271-273, 2010 pdf
  • Binzegger, T and Douglas, R J and Martin, K A C An axonal perspective on cortical circuits, New Aspects of Axonal Structure and Function 117-139, 2010 pdf
  • Douglas, R J and Martin, K A C Canonical cortical circuits, Handbook of Brain Microcircuits 15-21, 2010 pdf
  • Mayank, M and Buzsaki, G and Kreiter, A and Lansner, A and Lücke, J and Martin, K and Moghaddam, B and Moser, M B and Nikolic, D and Sejnowski, T J Coordination in circuits, Dynamic coordination in the brain : from neurons to mind 133-148, 2010 pdf

2009

2008

  • Douglas, R.J. and Kennedy, H. and Knoblauch, K. and Martin, K.A.C. Computation in 3-D: the circuits of neocortex, The Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, 2008 pdf
  • Douglas, R.J. and Kennedy, H. and Martin, K.A.C. Visual cortex – neurons and local circuits, The Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, 2008 pdf

2007

  • Banitt, Y and Martin, KAC and Segev, I A biologically realistic model of contrast invariant orientation tuning by thalamocortical synaptic depression , Journal of Neuroscience, 27: 10230-10239, 2007 pdf
  • Binzegger, T and Douglas, RJ and Martin, KAC Stereotypical patch organization of single neurons in cat primary visual cortex, Journal of Neuroscience, 27: 12242-12254, 2007
  • Douglas, RJ and Martin, KAC The butterfly and the loom, Brain Research Reviews, 55: 314-328, 2007 pdf
  • Douglas, RJ and Martin, KAC Recurrent neuronal circuits in the neocortex, Current Opinion in Biology, 17: R496-500, 2007 pdf
  • Douglas, RJ and Martin, KAC Mapping the matrix: the ways of neocortex, Neuron, 56: 226-238, 2007 pdf
  • Heinzle, J and Hepp, K and Martin, KAC A microcircuit model of the frontal eye fields, Journal of Neuroscience, 27: 9341-9353, 2007 pdf
  • Kiper, Daniel C and Martin, Kevan AC and Scherberger, Hans J Cortical Plasticity: A view from non-human primates, Neurodegenerative diseases, 4: 34-42, 2007 pdf
  • Nägerl , UV and Köstinger , G and Anderson , JC and Martin, KAC and Bonhoeffer, T Protracted synaptogenesis after activity-dependent spinogenesis in hippocampal neurons., Journal of Neuroscience, Jul 25;27(30):8149-56:(27(30)) 8149-56, 2007 pdf
  • Tom Binzegger, Rodney J. Douglas, and Kevan A. C. Martin Stereotypical Bouton Clustering of Individual Neurons in Cat Primary Visual Cortex, The Journal of Neuroscience, 27:(45) 12242–12254, 2007 pdf

2006

  • Anderson, JC and Martin, KAC Synaptic connection from cortical area V4 to V2 in macaque monkey, Journal of Comparative Neurology, 495:(6) 709-721, 2006 pdf

2005

  • Anderson, JC and Martin, KAC Connection from cortical area V2 to V3A in macaque monkey, Journal of Comparative Neurology, 488:(3) 320-330, 2005 pdf
  • Banitt, Y and Martin, KAC and Segev, I Depressed responses of facilitatory synapses, Journal of Neurophysiology, 94: 865-870, 2005 pdf
  • Rodney J. Douglas, Kevan A.C. Martin The Brain is wider than the Sky, Kult(5725) 79-93, 2005 pdf

2004

  • Binzegger, T. and Douglas, R. and Martin, K. Axons in Cat Visual Cortex are Topologically Self-similar., Cerebral Cortex, 2004 pdf
  • Binzegger, T. and Douglas, R. and Martin, K. A quantitative map of the circuit of cat primary visual cortex., Journal of Neuroscience, 24:(39) 8441-53, 2004 pdf
  • Douglas, R. and Martin, K. Neuronal Circuits of the Neocortex, Annual Review of Neuroscience, 27: 419-51, 2004 pdf
  • Einhäuser, W. and Martin, K.A.C and König, P. Are switches in perception of the Necker cube related to eye-position?, European Journal of Neuroscience, 20:(10) 2811-2818, 2004 pdf
  • Martin, KAC Paul du Toit. A Painter's Journey, Fernwood Press, 2004

2003

  • Anderson, JC and Binzegger, T and Douglas, RJ and Martin, KAC Chance or design: Some specific considerations concerning synaptic boutons in cat visual cortex, Journal of Neurocytology, 31: 211-229, 2003 pdf
  • DeFelipe, J and Elston, GN and Fujita, I and Fuster, J and Harrison, KH and Hof, PR and Kawaguchi, Y and Martin, KA and Rockland, KS and Thomson, AM and Wang, SS and White, EL and Yuste, R Neocortical circuits: evolutionary aspects and specificity versus non-specificity of synaptic connections. Remarks, main conclusions and general comments and discussion, Journal of Neurocytology, 31: 387-416, 2003 pdf
  • Douglas, R and Edelman, G and Krichmar, J and Martin, K Neural Networks and Artificial Brains, Neuroscience - Science of the Brain: An introduction for young students, 2003
  • Martin, K. Making your mind up, Nature, 423: 383-384, 2003 pdf
  • Martin, K.A.C. Scanning Shakespeare, Nature, 424: 254-255, 2003 pdf
  • Douglas, RJ and Markram, H and Martin, KAC Neocortex, The synaptic organization of the brain 499-558, 2003 pdf
  • Douglas, RJ and Martin, KAC Artificial Brains, Neuroscience: Science of the Brain, 2003
  • Martin, K.A.C. Vision, in my view, Interventionen 12 'Person/Schauplatz' 137-160, 2003 pdf

2002

2001

  • Anderson, JC and Martin, KAC Does bouton morphology optimize axon length?, Nature Neuroscience, 4:(12) 1166-1167, 2001 pdf

2000

  • Latawiec, Diane and Martin, Kevan A.C. and Meskenaite, Virginia Termination of the GeniculocorticalProjection in the Striate Cortex of Macaque Monkey A Quantitative Immunoelectron microscopy Study, Journal of Comparative Neurology, 419: 306-319, 2000 pdf

1999

  • Anderson, J.A. and Binzegger, T. and Kahana, O. and Martin, K.A.C. and Segev, I. Dendritic asymmetry cannot account for directional responses of neurons in visual cortex, Nature Neuroscience, 2:(9) 820-824 , 1999 pdf

1998

  • Ahmed, B. and Anderson, J. C. and Douglas, R. J. and Martin, K. A. C. and Whitteridge, D. Estimates of the net excitatory currents evoked by visual stimulation of identified neurons in cat visual cortex., Cerebral Cortex, 8(5): 462-76, 1998 pdf
  • Anderson, J. C. and Binzegger, T. and Martin, K. A. C. and Rockland, K. S. The connection from cortical area V1 to V5: a light and electron microscopic study, Journal of Neuroscience, 18(24): 10525-40, 1998 pdf
  • Douglas, R.J. and Martin, K.A.C. Neocortex, The synaptic organization of the brain 459-509, 1998 pdf
  • Tarczy-Hornoch, K. and Martin, K.A.C. and Stratford, K.J. Synaptic interactions between smooth and spiny neurones in layer 4 of cat visual cortex \it in vitro, Journal of Physiology, 508: 351-363, 1998 pdf

1997

  • Ahmed, B. and Allison, J.D. and Douglas, R.J. and Martin, K.A.C. An intracellular study of contrast-dependence of neuronal activity in cat visual cortex., Cerebral Cortex, 7: 559-570, 1997 pdf
  • Ahmed, B. and Anderson, J. C. and Martin, K. A. C. and Nelson, J. C. A Map of the synapses onto layer 4 basket cells of the primary visual cortex of the cat., Journal of Computational Neuroscience, 380(2): 230-42, 1997 pdf
  • Schindler, K.A. and Bernasconi, C.A. and Stoop, R. and Goodman, P.H. and Douglas, R.J. and Martin, K.A.C Irregular Spike Patterns Produced by Periodic Inhibition of Regularly Firing Rat Neocortical Neurons, Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 23: 397.5, 1997

1996

  • Ahmed, B. and Anderson, J. C. and Douglas, R. J. and Martin, K. A. C. and Nelson, J. C. The inhibitory innervation of spiny stellate cells of layer 4 of the cat visual cortex., Journal of Physiology, 495: 61P, 1996
  • Ahmed, B. and Anderson, J.C. and Douglas, R.J. and Martin, K. A. C. and Nelson, J. C. Estimates of the major excitatory innervation on apical dendrites of layer 5 pyramids within layer 4 of cat visual cortex., Journal of Physiology, 494: 15P, 1996
  • Allison, J.D. and Ahmed, B. and Anderson, J.C. and Douglas, R.J. and Martin, K.A.C. Contrast gain control in neurons of the cat primary visual cortex: input-output analysis, Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 22: 1705, 1996
  • Douglas, R. and Martin, K.A.C. News & Views: The Information Superflyway, Neuropsychologia, 379: 584-585, 1996 pdf
  • Douglas, R.J. and Mahowald, M.A. and Martin, K.A.C. Microarchitecture of Neocortical Columns., Brain theory - biological basis and computational principles. 75-95, 1996 pdf
  • Douglas, R.J. and Mahowald, M.A. and Martin, K.A.C. Neuroinformatics as explanatory neuroscience., Neuroimage, 4: 25-28, 1996 pdf
  • Douglas, R.J. and Mahowald, M.A. and Martin, K.A.C. and Stratford, K.J. The role of synapses in cortical computation., Journal of Neurocytology, 25: 893-911, 1996 pdf
  • Stratford, K.J. and Tarczy-Hornoch, K. and Martin, K.A.C. and Bannister, N.J. and Jack, J.J.B. Excitatory synaptic inputs to spiny stellate cells in cat visual cortex., Neuropsychologia, 382:(6588) 258-261, 1996 pdf

1995

  • Douglas, R. and Martin, K.A.C. Vibrations in the memory, Neuropsychologia, 373: 563-564, 1995 pdf
  • Douglas, R. J. and Koch, C. K. and Mahowald, M. and Martin, K. A. C. and Suarez, H. H. Recurrent Excitation in Neocortical Circuits, Science, 269: 981-985, 1995 pdf

1994

  • Douglas, R. J. and Mahowald, M. A. and Martin, K. A. C. Hybrid analog-digital architectures for neuromorphic systems, Neural Networks, 1994 IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence, 3: 1848-1853, 1994 pdf

1992

  • Neil J. Berman, Rodney J. Douglas and Kevan A.C. Martin GABA-mediated inhibition in the neural networks of visual cortex, Progress in Brain Research, 90: 443-476, 1992 pdf

1989

  • Rodney J. Douglas, Kevan A.C. Martin, David Whitteridge A Canonical Microcircuit for Neocortex, Neural Computation, 1:(4) 480-488, 1989 pdf