Matthew Banks
Position title: Professor, Department of Anesthesiology
Email: mibanks@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 261-1143
Department:
Anesthesiology
Education:
M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Ph.D. in Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
Postdoctoral in Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin–Madison/Dept. of Physiology, Madison, WI, USA
Postdoctoral in Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin–Madison/Dept. of Anesthesiology, Madison, WI, USA
Research Description:
My research focuses on changes in the brain underlying loss, recovery, and altered states of consciousness, work for which I have had NIH funding continuously over the last 20 years. I am trained as a biomedical engineer with an emphasis on neural signal processing, a background that I have leveraged to address fundamental questions about how human brain circuits are organized (Krause et al., 2019) and how information processing is disrupted during anesthesia and sleep (Murphy et al., 2019; Casey et al., 2022), and by serotonergic psychedelics (Banks et al., 2021). I use multimodal approaches (MRI, scalp & intracranial EEG) to study neural activity in large scale cortical networks induced by sensory stimuli and behavioral tasks, and during resting state. My work has focused on changes in the brain underlying transitions in arousal and awareness, and our results inform both efforts to develop non–invasive monitors of consciousness in clinical settings, as well as efforts to elucidate the neural correlates of consciousness. I study this question in human subjects and rodent models using behavioral assays as well as imaging and electrophysiological measurements focused primarily in neocortex and thalamus.
Research Key Words:
Consciousness, Anesthesia, Sleep, Delirium, Psychedelics
Diversity Statement:
As a faculty trainer in the Neuroscience Training Program and mentor to undergraduates, graduate students, post-graduate fellows, and junior faculty, I am committed to fostering and nurturing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all facets of academic life and in the larger community. I interpret this commitment as a charge to recruit, mentor and graduate students from underrepresented and marginalized groups with care, kindness, and rigor. As a white heterosexual cisgendered man, I have worked hard to unlearn patterns of interaction that are barriers to success for all students and colleagues. I have completed several UW diversity training courses, have participated in the Reverend Nehemiah’s Justified Anger program, and continue to read widely to supplement my knowledge base. I recognize that these mentorship opportunities and diversity training programs are only one part of an ongoing process to identify, challenge, and eradicate inequity from our community. I am dedicated to continued and lifelong participation in that process.