12 research outputs found
Die Rolle des mediotemporalen Areals im Gehirn der Primaten bei visuell geführten Handbewegungen
No full textDie Bewegungen unserer Gliedmaßen und Augen werden visuell gesteuert. Im Primatenhirn werden visuelle Signale der Retina innerhalb eines hierarchisch und parallel organisiertem Netzwerkes kortikaler Areale verarbeitet. Verschiedene Aspekte des visuellen Bildes werden in verschiedenen kortikalen Pfaden analysiert. Das mittlere temporale Areal (MT) im superioren temporalen sulcus ist bekannt für seine Rolle in der Wahrnehmung visueller Bewegung und der Steuerung der Augen zu bewegten Zielen. Mit 3 unterschiedlichen Methoden habe ich die funktionelle Bedeutung von MT für die visuelle Steuerung von Handbewegungen untersucht. Extrazelluläre Ableitungen zeigten eine Modulation der neuronalen Aktivität abhängig von der Ausführung manueller Folgebewegungen. Inaktivierungen durch Mikroinjektionen von Muscimol sowie Mikrostimulationen betrafen die Latenz und die Richtung der Handbewegungsinitiation. Die Ergebnisse deuten auf MT als eine generelle Quelle von visueller Bewegungsinformation.Most of our movements of the limbs and the eyes are controlled by visual signals. In the primate brain visual signals of the retina are processed within a network of cortical areas which features hierarchical and parallel organisation. Different aspects of the visual scene are analysed along different cortical pathways. The middle temporal area (MT) in the superior temporal sulcus is well known for its role in visual motion perception and the guidance of eye movements to moving targets. By three different methodological approaches I explored the functional significance of MT for the visual control of hand movements in the macaque monkey. Extracellular recordings showed a modulation of neuronal activity depending on the execution of manual tracking movements. Inactivation by microinjections of muscimol as well as microstimulation affected the latency and the direction of hand movement initiation. The results suggest MT to be a general source of visual movement information
A la recherche du geste unique : pratique et théorie chez Alwin Nikolaïs
No full textNikolais, trying out Laban's ideas with his company's dancers, carried these ideas further and developed them. His approach evolved, as he continuously moved back-and-forth from principles to the physical experience of the dancing body. The elements of Nikolais' choreographic language (the qualities of motion, shape...) and his pedagogic tools : decentralisation, gestalt (i.e. a recognizable whole), the triad of technique/improvisation/composition, evolved without being based on any external theory. His teaching aimed to getting the body and the mind to know and to be instantly aware of the elements involved in the dance movement. This study tends to whow that all pedagogy implies the rpesence of a theory. For Nikolais, theory proceeds from a amoment of improvisation wherein concept, choreography and performance are simultaneous. Improvisation, one of the key elements of modern dance, thus seems to be a preferred process, where practice and theory are merged, or serve to reinforce one another. In addition, we shall also question the supposed "universality" of Nikolais' tools and syntaxic elements through an analysis of the particular context of the 1950s (historic, socio-political, artistic, and technological) ; as well as the ideology, attributable to the personality of its author and the fervor surrounding him. Thus, our intention is to "deconstruc" the model by taking a third path, neither upholding faithfully the heritage nor rejecting it, and, in view of its widespread teaching in France, to attempt a rehabilitation and an analysiso f the pertinence of these ideas for our time and what is at stakeNikolaïs a prolongé la pensée de Laban et l'a enrichie en l'expérimentant sur les corps-mêmes des danseurs de sa compagnie. son approche s'est développée dans un va-et-vient constant entre les 'principles' et l'expérience sensible du corps dansant. les éléments de langage chorégraphique (qualités de 'motion', 'shape'...) et les outils pédagogiques de nikolaïs (décentrement, 'gestalt' ou totalité reconnaissable, triade technique-improvisation-composition...) se sont élaborés sans être soumis à un savoir théorique extérieur. Cet enseignement consiste à munir le corps et l'esprit d'un savoir et d'une conscience immédiate des facteurs entrant en jeu dans le mouvement dansé. L'étude tendra à affirmer que là où il y a pédagogie, il y a théorie. la 'theory' est chez Nikolaïs un moment d'investigation à travers l'improvisation où concept, chorégraphie et performances sont instantanés. l'improvisation, un des éléments-clés de la modernité en danse, semble donc représenter le processus privilégié où pratique et théorie se confondent ou se vérifient l'une l'autre. Par ailleurs, sera aussi questionnée la prétendue "universalité" des outils et éléments de syntaxe de Nikolaïs, par l'analyse du contexte particulier des années 1950 (historique, socio-politique, artistique et technologique) et l'idéologie très liée à la personnalité de son créateur et à l'engouement qu'il a suscité. On se propose donc de déconstruire le modèle en empruntant une troisième voie au-delà de l'héritage fidèlement entretenu ou rejeté pour tenter, en contrant la présence diffuse de cet enseignement en France, une réhabilitation et une analyse qui questionneront la pertinence et les enjeux de cette pensée aujourd'hui
Looking for the unique gesture : Practice and theory in the work of Alwin Nikolais
No full textNikolaïs a prolongé la pensée de Laban et l'a enrichie en l'expérimentant sur les corps-mêmes des danseurs de sa compagnie. son approche s'est développée dans un va-et-vient constant entre les 'principles' et l'expérience sensible du corps dansant. les éléments de langage chorégraphique (qualités de 'motion', 'shape'...) et les outils pédagogiques de nikolaïs (décentrement, 'gestalt' ou totalité reconnaissable, triade technique-improvisation-composition...) se sont élaborés sans être soumis à un savoir théorique extérieur. Cet enseignement consiste à munir le corps et l'esprit d'un savoir et d'une conscience immédiate des facteurs entrant en jeu dans le mouvement dansé. L'étude tendra à affirmer que là où il y a pédagogie, il y a théorie. la 'theory' est chez Nikolaïs un moment d'investigation à travers l'improvisation où concept, chorégraphie et performances sont instantanés. l'improvisation, un des éléments-clés de la modernité en danse, semble donc représenter le processus privilégié où pratique et théorie se confondent ou se vérifient l'une l'autre. Par ailleurs, sera aussi questionnée la prétendue "universalité" des outils et éléments de syntaxe de Nikolaïs, par l'analyse du contexte particulier des années 1950 (historique, socio-politique, artistique et technologique) et l'idéologie très liée à la personnalité de son créateur et à l'engouement qu'il a suscité. On se propose donc de déconstruire le modèle en empruntant une troisième voie au-delà de l'héritage fidèlement entretenu ou rejeté pour tenter, en contrant la présence diffuse de cet enseignement en France, une réhabilitation et une analyse qui questionneront la pertinence et les enjeux de cette pensée aujourd'hui.Nikolais, trying out Laban's ideas with his company's dancers, carried these ideas further and developed them. His approach evolved, as he continuously moved back-and-forth from principles to the physical experience of the dancing body. The elements of Nikolais' choreographic language (the qualities of motion, shape...) and his pedagogic tools : decentralisation, gestalt (i.e. a recognizable whole), the triad of technique/improvisation/composition, evolved without being based on any external theory. His teaching aimed to getting the body and the mind to know and to be instantly aware of the elements involved in the dance movement. This study tends to whow that all pedagogy implies the rpesence of a theory. For Nikolais, theory proceeds from a amoment of improvisation wherein concept, choreography and performance are simultaneous. Improvisation, one of the key elements of modern dance, thus seems to be a preferred process, where practice and theory are merged, or serve to reinforce one another. In addition, we shall also question the supposed "universality" of Nikolais' tools and syntaxic elements through an analysis of the particular context of the 1950s (historic, socio-political, artistic, and technological) ; as well as the ideology, attributable to the personality of its author and the fervor surrounding him. Thus, our intention is to "deconstruc" the model by taking a third path, neither upholding faithfully the heritage nor rejecting it, and, in view of its widespread teaching in France, to attempt a rehabilitation and an analysiso f the pertinence of these ideas for our time and what is at stak
A la recherche du geste unique : pratique et théorie chez Alwin Nikolaïs
No full textNikolais, trying out Laban's ideas with his company's dancers, carried these ideas further and developed them. His approach evolved, as he continuously moved back-and-forth from principles to the physical experience of the dancing body. The elements of Nikolais' choreographic language (the qualities of motion, shape...) and his pedagogic tools : decentralisation, gestalt (i.e. a recognizable whole), the triad of technique/improvisation/composition, evolved without being based on any external theory. His teaching aimed to getting the body and the mind to know and to be instantly aware of the elements involved in the dance movement. This study tends to whow that all pedagogy implies the rpesence of a theory. For Nikolais, theory proceeds from a amoment of improvisation wherein concept, choreography and performance are simultaneous. Improvisation, one of the key elements of modern dance, thus seems to be a preferred process, where practice and theory are merged, or serve to reinforce one another. In addition, we shall also question the supposed "universality" of Nikolais' tools and syntaxic elements through an analysis of the particular context of the 1950s (historic, socio-political, artistic, and technological) ; as well as the ideology, attributable to the personality of its author and the fervor surrounding him. Thus, our intention is to "deconstruc" the model by taking a third path, neither upholding faithfully the heritage nor rejecting it, and, in view of its widespread teaching in France, to attempt a rehabilitation and an analysiso f the pertinence of these ideas for our time and what is at stakeNikolaïs a prolongé la pensée de Laban et l'a enrichie en l'expérimentant sur les corps-mêmes des danseurs de sa compagnie. son approche s'est développée dans un va-et-vient constant entre les 'principles' et l'expérience sensible du corps dansant. les éléments de langage chorégraphique (qualités de 'motion', 'shape'...) et les outils pédagogiques de nikolaïs (décentrement, 'gestalt' ou totalité reconnaissable, triade technique-improvisation-composition...) se sont élaborés sans être soumis à un savoir théorique extérieur. Cet enseignement consiste à munir le corps et l'esprit d'un savoir et d'une conscience immédiate des facteurs entrant en jeu dans le mouvement dansé. L'étude tendra à affirmer que là où il y a pédagogie, il y a théorie. la 'theory' est chez Nikolaïs un moment d'investigation à travers l'improvisation où concept, chorégraphie et performances sont instantanés. l'improvisation, un des éléments-clés de la modernité en danse, semble donc représenter le processus privilégié où pratique et théorie se confondent ou se vérifient l'une l'autre. Par ailleurs, sera aussi questionnée la prétendue "universalité" des outils et éléments de syntaxe de Nikolaïs, par l'analyse du contexte particulier des années 1950 (historique, socio-politique, artistique et technologique) et l'idéologie très liée à la personnalité de son créateur et à l'engouement qu'il a suscité. On se propose donc de déconstruire le modèle en empruntant une troisième voie au-delà de l'héritage fidèlement entretenu ou rejeté pour tenter, en contrant la présence diffuse de cet enseignement en France, une réhabilitation et une analyse qui questionneront la pertinence et les enjeux de cette pensée aujourd'hui
Distinct feedforward and feedback pathways for cell-type specific attention effects
No full textSpatial attention increases both inter-areal synchronization and spike rates across the visual hierarchy. To investigate whether these attentional changes reflect distinct or common mechanisms, we performed simultaneous laminar recordings of identified cell classes in macaque V1 and V4. Enhanced V4 spike rates were expressed by both excitatory neurons and fast-spiking interneurons, and were most prominent and arose earliest in time in superficial layers, consistent with a feedback modulation. By contrast, V1-V4 gamma-synchronization reflected feedforward communication and surprisingly engaged only fast-spiking interneurons in the V4 input layer. In mouse visual cortex, we found a similar motif for optogenetically identified inhibitory-interneuron classes. Population decoding analyses further indicate that feedback-related increases in spikes rates encoded attention more reliably than feedforward-related increases in synchronization. These findings reveal distinct, cell-type-specific feedforward and feedback pathways for the attentional modulation of inter-areal synchronization and spike rates, respectively
Contribution of Ionotropic Glutamatergic Receptors to Excitability and Attentional Signals in Macaque Frontal Eye Field
No full textTop-down attention, controlled by frontal cortical areas, is a key component of cognitive operations. How different neurotransmitters and neuromodulators flexibly change the cellular and network interactions with attention demands remains poorly understood. While acetylcholine and dopamine are critically involved, glutamatergic receptors have been proposed to play important roles. To understand their contribution to attentional signals, we investigated how ionotropic glutamatergic receptors in the frontal eye field (FEF) of male macaques contribute to neuronal excitability and attentional control signals in different cell types. Broad-spiking and narrow-spiking cells both required N-methyl-D-aspartic acid and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor activation for normal excitability, thereby affecting ongoing or stimulus-driven activity. However, attentional control signals were not dependent on either glutamatergic receptor type in broad- or narrow-spiking cells. A further subdivision of cell types into different functional types using cluster-analysis based on spike waveforms and spiking characteristics did not change the conclusions. This can be explained by a model where local blockade of specific ionotropic receptors is compensated by cell embedding in large-scale networks. It sets the glutamatergic system apart from the cholinergic system in FEF and demonstrates that a reduction in excitability is not sufficient to induce a reduction in attentional control signals.</p
Balto-Slavic accentuation revisited
No full textThere is every reason to welcome the revised edition (2009) of Thomas Olander’s dissertation (2006), which I have criticized elsewhere (2006). The book is very well written and the author has a broad command of the scholarly literature. I have not found any mistakes in Olander’s rendering of other people’s views. This makes the book especially useful as an introduction to the subject. It must be hoped that the easy access to a complex set of problems which this book offers will have a stimulating effect on the study of Balto-Slavic accentology
Post 1990s Dance Theatre and (the idea of) the Neutral
No full textPhDThe thesis focuses on the concept of neutrality in the works of contemporary
European (post 1990s) choreographers. While broad ideas around neutrality are
considered, the thesis primarily engages with Roland Barthes’ definition of
neutrality as a structural term: 'every inflection that, dodging or baffling the
paradigmatic, oppositional structure of meaning, aims at the suspension of the
conflictual basis of discourse'. I argue that the minimalist work of Judson
Church, New York City, is anticipating the interest in the neutral that will more
strongly formulate itself in dance theatre after the 1990s. In the first chapter on
Jérôme Bel, the concept of neutrality is introduced as a general idea, together with
its inherent problem. The 'problem' is not that this or that element that Bel
chooses cannot be perceived as neutral, but that neutral or stage zero can never be
neutral enough. The second chapter, dedicated to the work of Thomas Lehmen,
explores the idea of 'neutralization' in relation to the notion of the self in
Lehmen's performance, where 'It is not I or you who lives: 'one' (une vie) lives in
us' (P. Hallward). In the third chapter I argue that in Raimund Hoghe’s
performances, love is conceived essentially as a balance between narcissism and
pure object-love – as a neutral state. The fourth chapter, on Croatia’s BADco.,
gravitates around the ways in which group processes function, arguing that the
idea of the neutral is located in the ‘invisible hand’ of emergence. The thesis shifts
academic performance analysis towards a more concept-based approach,
unpicking and/or constructing timeless, abstract and broad concepts and ideas that
the work of these choreographers resonates with
In the Shadow of Night: Sleeping and Dreaming and Their Technical Rôles in Shakespearian Drama
No full textThis thesis aims to demonstrate the variety of ways in which sleep and dreams are employed in Shakespeare’s dramatic canon. Using a historical perspective, the work primarily examines the functions of these motifs within the design of the plays: how they contribute to the structure and unity of the works, how they assist in delineating some of the individual characters, and how they shape the atmosphere of specific dramatic situations. This kind of analysis requires an understanding of the cultural and intellectual contexts in which the fictitious representations of these phenomena were originally written and received. For this reason, the present thesis also offers a historical and cultural background, outlining the social character of the phenomena of sleep and dreams in early modern England and the history of their employment in pre-Shakespearian literature. Where relevant, the use of these motifs in the works of Shakespeare’s contemporaries is also studied.
The Introduction to the thesis summarizes the current state of knowledge of the topic and defines the present author’s approach to the research question. The first chapter discusses dream literature as a genre, its themes and development before Shakespeare’s time. The second chapter analyses the dramatic functions of a sleeping character on the stage in Shakespeare’s drama and how this image developed from the dramatist’s early plays to his later and more mature works. It examines how the motif affects the image of the character in question, but also how it influences the immediate dramatic context. A special section is devoted to the topos of dreams and its use as a characterization device. The third chapter deals with fictitious dream prophecies and their technical functions in Shakespeare’s plays. Again, the chapter follows the motif from the early stages of Shakespeare’s dramatic career to his last plays, trying to determine both its staple functions and changes in its employment. The last chapter addresses the dramatic image of the night as a time in which sleeping and dreaming – but also other typically dark enterprises – occur. A special section is devoted to Shakespeare’s use of the death-as-sleep metaphor and its dramatic implications
