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Dr. Shmuel鈥檚 research focuses on two goals. One goal is to understand the neuronal mechanisms that underlie functional brain imaging signals and to evaluate the degree to which these signals reflect the locally measured neuronal activity. The second goal is to elucidate the principles and processes used by the cerebral cortex to analyze visual information and to create coherent visual perception. Employing an integrative approach, Dr. Shmuel鈥檚 laboratory uses a combination of imaging and electrical recording techniques: functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI), optical imaging using intrinsic signals and voltage-sensitive dyes, multi-channel neurophysiological recordings, and neurophysiology simultaneously with fMRI. Together, these techniques encompass multiple levels of spatial and temporal resolution. Brain activity signals obtained by large-scale non-invasive imaging methods are compared to the activity of ensembles of neurons imaged optically, as well as to electrically recorded activity obtained from groups of neurons and single neurons.