معرفی
Tom Franken, MD, PhD serves as Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. His research focuses on how the primate brain constructs visual representations of the external world through neural computations in visual cortex.
- Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine
- Franken Laboratory leader
- Specializes in visual perception mechanisms
Dr. Franken investigates perceptual organization processes where the brain resolves visual ambiguity to create structured object representations. His work centers on border ownership computation - how visual borders are assigned to foreground surfaces. Using high-channel electrophysiology (Neuropixels), behavioral paradigms, causal perturbations, and computational modeling in non-human primates, his lab discovered columnar organization of border ownership signals with deep-layer neurons initiating these computations. Recent work shows brain-like border ownership signals emerge in predictive artificial neural networks trained on natural videos.
His publication analysis reveals consistent focus on visual cortex organization (68% of recent work), with growing emphasis on computational approaches (2023-2025). Key trends include cross-species validation of neural mechanisms and clinical connections to perceptual disorders.
- BBRF Young Investigator Grant (2025-2027)
- K99/R00 Pathway To Independence Award (2020-2025)
- NARSAD Young Investigator Grant (2018-2020)
- Kavli Institute Innovative Research Grant (2017-2018)
Dr. Franken's research program is supported by multiple NIH and foundation grants totaling over $2.3M, with particular focus on understanding perceptual failures in schizophrenia and agnosia. His lab actively collaborates with computational neuroscience groups including Ralf Wessel's team.
The Franken Laboratory employs Neuropixels technology for high-resolution neural recording during visual tasks, maintaining primate models for translational research connecting basic mechanisms to clinical conditions.
