Jörg-Peter Ewert

Jörg- Peter Ewert ( * 1938 in Gdańsk ) is a German neurophysiologist ( research direction Neuroethology ). From 1973 to 2006 he worked as a senior lecturer in the Department of Natural Sciences ( Chair of Zoology / Physiology ) at the University of Kassel.

Career

Jörg- Peter Ewert studied from 1958 to 1965, the biology, chemistry and geography at the Georg-August -Universität Göttingen. In 1965 he was zoology at the behavior physiologist Georg Birukow Dr. rer in the tray. nat. doctorate. Thesis: The influence of peripheral sense organs and the central nervous system to the responsiveness in the directional movement of the toad. Later he graduated from the state examination for secondary school teaching.

From 1966 he was a research assistant at the Zoological Institute of the Technical University of Darmstadt, first with the development physiologists Wolfgang Luther, then in the sense physiologists Hubert Markl. In 1968 he received an invitation from the neurophysiologists Otto Joachim Grüsser at the Physiological Institute of the Free University of Berlin. The acquired knowledge of methods there he sat for discharges of neurons in the visual system of the toad -in. In 1969 his habilitation and the issue of Venia Legendi of Zoology (focus physiology ).

During a research stay 1970/71 he worked as a Fellow of the Foundations ' Fund for Research in Psychiatry at the neuropsychologist David J. Ingle at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, Mass., USA.

1971/72, he was professor at the Zoological Institute of the Technical University of Darmstadt.

Ewert 1973 was appointed to the H4 Professor ( Chair ) of Zoology / Physiology at the University of Kassel. There he formed the group neuroethology. During the establishment phase of the university, he was instrumental in the development of the natural sciences and in the structuring of the Reformed biology degree programs.

In 1983 he was appointed to the chair of zoology / physiology at the University of Vienna. However, he chose the University of Kassel, where he worked until his retirement in 2006.

From 2000 to 2004 headed Ewert, as a representative of the European Science Foundation ( ESF), a group of experts of the Council of Europe. The task of the "Group of Experts on Amphibians and Reptiles " was the revision of Appendix A to the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals used for Experimental and other Scientific Purposes ETS_123.

Memberships

For his scientific achievements in the field of neuroethological research on amphibians Ewert was admitted as a Fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science ( AAAS).

In August 1981, Ewert organized as director of the NATO Advanced Study Institute ( NATO ASI), the International Congress Advances in Vertebrate neuroethology at the University of Kassel ( Venue: castle Schoenburg, Hofgeismar ). On the occasion of this Congress, the International Society for neuroethology ( ISN) was founded. Ewert was a member of ISN Steering Committee.

Research focus Neuroethology

Jörg- Peter Ewert is one of the pioneers of Neuroethology. Since 1963 he has researched the neurophysiological basis visually controlled behavior in amphibians with special reference to the common toad. The focus is on - by Nikolaas Tinbergen at the time asked - question about neural correlates of the classic ethological concepts key stimulus and releasing mechanism. He has these concepts, expanded case by case basis for visual prey capture in toads release, neurophysiologically substantiated and content through its research results. Consequently, the learned of Hanna -Maria Zippelius to these concepts lump sum criticism ( " The presumptuous theory " ) partly a correction.

Ewert has the concept of key stimulus clarified case by case basis. The "key" does not refer to a specific stimulus feature, but an algorithm, which opens up the prey category by weighting critical feature components and differentiating itself from non- prey. The limit is, inter alia, of the prey - dependent motivation. Through their research Ewert and coworkers have also shed new light on the concept of trigger mechanism: The species - specific prey recognition of the common toad can be modified by learning. After inactivation of a brain structure involved in learning ( homologous to the hippocampus) is the initial prey detection reasserted. Consequently, there are toads brain neuron circuits that translate signals ( cues ) in appropriate patterns of behavior and those that - modulate this translation, modify, for example - with the participation of certain telencephaler structures.

At Ewert scientific successes, the discovery of prey -selective neurons in the midbrain roof of the common toad belongs. He was able to demonstrate that the feature - weighting process - and thus the above Algorithm - is based on specific interactions between the various structures of the forebrain and midbrain roof. The axons of the prey - selective neurons could be traced to the motor centers of the Nachhirns. Thus, a triggering mechanism is a sensorimotor interface, which - like the Janus head - look in two directions, to the sensory and motor. It is suitable for signal detection, and signal detection and on the other hand the control of the appropriate behavioral response. Neural correlate is by Ewert a combination of feature - sensitive, leading to motor neurons (the concept of sensorimotor code).

The modeling of central nervous processes that underlie object recognition in toads, was in contact with Werner von Seelen, Francisco Cervantes - Pérez, Michael A. Arbib and Ann Reddipogu. Artificial neural networks which are based on principles of brain toads, allowed in the experimental platform "Sort conveyor belt moving objects with robotic gripper arm " means access to robotics in collaboration with Helge Ritter and Friedrich Pfeiffer in the BMBF joint project SEKON.

Ewert 1976 wrote the first book on Neuro- Ethology: Introduction to the neurophysiological basis of behavior, which later appeared as English, Japanese and Chinese edition. The by Ewert and the Institute for the Scientific Film (IWF ) completed movie image processing in the visual system of the toad - behavior, brain function, artificial neural network was awarded in 1994: " Accredited by IAMS ", International Association for Media in Science. Since 1992, Ewert is a member of the editorial board of the journal Adaptive Behavior - Animals, animats, software agents, robots, Adaptive Systems.

The research results obtained in toads belong to model examples in various textbooks.

Publications

Textbooks

• J.-P. Ewert: Neuro- Ethology: Introduction to the neurophysiological basis of behavior. Heidelberger paperbacks, Springer, Heidelberg 1976, ISBN 3-540-07773-1. J.-P. Ewert: neuroethology. Springer, Berlin 1980, ISBN 3-540-09790-2. 1983 Japanese Edn. ( Baifukan, Tokyo); 1986 Chinese Edn. (Beijing Scientific Press, Beijing )
• J.-P. Ewert, R. R. Capranica, D. J. Ingle (Ed.): Advances in Vertebrate neuroethology. Plenum, New York 1983, ISBN 0-306-41197-0
• J.-P. Ewert: Neurobiology of behavior. Concise textbook for psychologists, physicians and biologists. Huber Publishers, Bern 1998, ISBN 3-456-82994-9

Contributions to textbooks

• J.-P. Ewert: The neural basis of visually guided behavior. In: R. Held, W. Richards ( Eds.): Recent Progress in Perception. Readings from Scientific American. Freeman, San Francisco 1974, pp. 96-104
• J.-P. Ewert: tectal mechanisms did underlie prey -catching and avoidance behaviors in toads. In: H. Vanegas (Ed.): Comparative Neurology of the Optic Tectum. Plenum, New York, 1984, pp. 247-416
• J.-P. Ewert, T. W. Beneke, E. Schürg -Pfeiffer, W. W. Schwippert, A. Weerasuriya: Sensorimotor processes did underlie feeding behavior in tetrapods. In: V.L. Bels, M. Chardon, P. Vandewalle ( Eds.): Advances in Comparative & Environmental Physiology, Vol 18: Biomechanics of Feeding in Vertebrates. Springer, Berlin 1994, pp. 119-162
• J.-P. Ewert: Motion perception shapes the visual world of amphibians. In: F. R. Prete (ed.): Complex Worlds from Simpler Nervous Systems. MIT Press, Cambridge MA 2004, pp. 117-160

Scientific Movies

• J.-P. Ewert: Gestalt perception in the common toad. GGmbH IWF Knowledge and Media, Göttingen 1982, 16 mm film, S -VHS, DVD-Video. I) Innate prey recognition, No. C 1430. II) modification of the prey recognition by learning NoC 1431st III) Neuroethologische analysis of the innate prey cognition, No. C 1432.
• J.-P. Ewert: Image processing in the visual system of the toad - behavior, brain function, artificial neural network. IMF 1993 English version: Image Processing in the Visual System of the Common Toad - Behavior, Brain Function, Artificial Neuronal Net.. ( Accompanying publication: IMF Publ Wiss film Biol 22 (1995 ) pp. 73-150. .. ) Film no. C 1805, S -VHS video, DVD video.