Etay Hay

I am a computational neuroscientist, with expertise in sensory processing by cortical circuits. As an Independent Scientist at the Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics, CAMH, I am leading a team that studies the effect of neuronal mechanisms (connectivity, ion channels and synapses) on somatosensory processing by cortical circuits, in health and disease. I am an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto. I have obtained my PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I have conducted a postdoctoral training at the Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest, where I studied whole-brain connectivity by modeling fMRI activity. I have also conducted further postdoctoral training at Western University, studying the tactile input from the human hand, which subcortical populations of neurons provide the cortex.

Research Synopsis

I study the neuronal mechanisms of sensory processing by brain circuits, in health and disease. Brain function is mediated by finely-tuned neuronal connectivity and versatile biophysical mechanisms with which neurons are endowed. Similarly, there is increasing evidence that brain disorders involve abnormalities in the neuronal mechanisms of brain circuits. I simulate biophysical models of somatosensory cortical networks to determine the changes in cortical activity (spiking, LFP and EEG) due to abnormalities in the connectivity between types of neurons and the properties of membrane ion channels and synapses. My research thus aims to improve the mechanistic understanding of cortical circuit function and dysfunction, and consequently enable a higher-resolution diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders.

Recent Publications

Hay E, Pruszynski JA. Orientation processing by synaptic integration across first-order tactile neurons. bioRxiv. 2018; 396705

Hay E, Ritter P, Lobaugh NJ, McIntosh AR. Multiregional integration in the brain during resting-state fMRI activity. PLoS Comput Biol. 2017 Mar 1; 13(3): e1005410

Markram H, …, Hay E, et al. Reconstruction and simulation of neocortical microcircuitry. Cell.  2015 Oct 8; 163(2):456-92

Hay E, Segev I. Dendritic excitability and gain control in recurrent cortical microcircuits. Cereb Cortex. 2015 Oct; 25(10):3561-71

Appointments

Scientist, Krembil Centre for Neuroinformatics

Honours and Awards

Name: Western Cognitive Neuroscience Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
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Name: Krembil Institute Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Award
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Name: Top 25% most cited articles in PLoS Computational Biology
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