Molkov's Theoretical Neuroscience Group

Current and Former PhD Students

Tommy Stell	Guoning Yu	Mohammed	Liza Latash	Robbie Capps	Hassan Vaziri	Yeonjoo Yoo

Yaroslav I. Molkov, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Neuroscience Institute
Georgia State University
25 Park Place, Atlanta, GA 30303
Office: 1415
Phone: (404) 413-6422
Email: ymolkov@gsu.edu

Current and Former Postdocs

William Barnett	Dmitry Todorov	Wondimu Teka

Research Interests

Neural Control of Breathing
Neural Control of Quadrupedal Locomotion
Motor Adaptation
Integrative Theory of Alzheimer's Disease

Recent Publications

Molkov, Y. I., A. Borgmann, H. Koizumi, N. Hama, R. Zhang and J. C. Smith (2024) Inference technique for the synaptic conductances in rhythmically active networks and application to respiratory central pattern generation circuits. eLife 13:RP101959.
Molkov YI, Yu G, Ausborn J, Bouvier J, Danner SM, Rybak IA (2024) Sensory feedback and central neuronal interactions in mouse locomotion, R. Soc. Open Sci.11:240207.
John SR, Barnett WH, Abdala APL, Zoccal DB, Rubin JE, Molkov YI. (2024) Exploring the role of the K\F6lliker-Fuse nucleus in breathing variability by mathematical modelling. J Physiol. 602(1):93-112.
Molkov YI, Zaretskaia MV, Zaretsky DV (2023) Towards the integrative theory of Alzheimer\92s disease: linking molecular mechanisms of neurotoxicity, beta-amyloid biomarkers, and the diagnosis, Current Alzheimer Research 20(9):440-452.
Zaretsky DV, Zaretskaia MV, Molkov YI. (2022) Patients with Alzheimers disease have an increased removal rate of soluble beta-amyloid-42, PLoS ONE 17(10): e0276933. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276933
Ryan S. Phillips, Hidehiko Koizumi, Yaroslav I. Molkov, Jonathan E. Rubin, Jeffrey C. Smith (2022) Predictions and experimental tests of a new biophysical model of the mammalian respiratory oscillator, eLife 11:e74762.
Zaretsky DV, Zaretskaia MV, Molkov YI. (2021) Membrane channel hypothesis of lysosomal permeabilization by beta-amyloid. Neurosci Lett. 2021 Nov 9:136338. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136338.
W.H. Barnett, D.M. Baekey, J.F.R. Paton, T.E. Dick, E.A. Wehrwein, Y.I. Molkov (2021) Heartbeats entrain breathing via baroreceptor-mediated modulation of expiratory activity, Exp. Physiol. 106:1181-1195
E.M. Latash, C.G. Lecomte, S.M. Danner, A.Frigon, I.A. Rybak, Y.I. Molkov (2020) On the organization of the locomotor CPG: insights from split-belt locomotion and mathematical modeling, Front. Neurosci. 14:598888 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2020.598888
Barnett, W. H., Latash, E. M., Capps, R. E., Dick, T. E., Wehrwein, E. A., & Molkov, Y. I. (2020). Traube-Hering Waves Are Formed by Interaction of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia and Pulse Pressure Modulation in Healthy Males. Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) 129(5): 1193-1202. https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00452.2020
E.M. Latash, W.H. Barnett, H. Park, J.M. Rider, A.N. Klishko, B.I. Prilutsky, Y.I. Molkov (2020) Frontal plane dynamics of the centre of mass during quadrupedal locomotion on a split-belt treadmill. J R Soc Interface. 2020;17(170):20200547. doi:10.1098/rsif.2020.0547
K.C. Flor, W.H. Barnett, M. Karlen-Amarante, Y.I. Molkov#, D.B. Zoccal# (2020) Inhibitory control of active expiration by the Botzinger complex in rats, J Physiol. 2020 Jul 4. doi: 10.1113/JP280243. Online ahead of print., #joint senior authors
H. Park, E.M. Latash, Y.I. Molkov, A.N. Klishko, A. Frigon, S.P. DeWeerth, B.I. Prilutsky (2019) Cutaneous sensory feedback from paw pads affects lateral balance control during split-belt locomotion in the cat, Journal of Experimental Biology 222: jeb198648.
D.I. Todorov, R.A. Capps, W.H. Barnett, E.M. Latash, T. Kim, K.C. Hamade, S.N. Markin, I.A. Rybak, Y.I. Molkov (2019) The interplay between cerebellum and basal ganglia in motor adaptation: A modeling study. PLOS ONE 14(4): e0214926. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0214926
G.M.P.R. Souza, W.H. Barnett, M.R. Amorim, L. Lima-Silveira, D.J.A. Moraes, Y.I. Molkov, B.H. Machado (2019) Pre- and Post-inspiratory neurons changed their firing properties in female rats exposed to chronic intermittent hypoxia, Neuroscience 406:467-486. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.03.043
R.S. Phillips, T.T. John, H. Koizumi, Y.I. Molkov, J.C. Smith (2019) Biophysical mechanisms in the mammalian respiratory oscillator re-examined with a new data-driven computational model, eLife 8:e41555. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.41555
T. Kim, R.A. Capps, K.C. Hamade, W.H. Barnett, D.I. Todorov, E.M. Latash, S.N. Markin, I.A. Rybak, Y.I. Molkov (2019) The functional role of striatal cholinergic interneurons in reinforcement learning from computational perspective, Front. Neural Circuits 13:10. doi: 10.3389/fncir.2019.00010
D.B. Zoccal, J.N. Silva, W.H. Barnett, E.V. Lemes, B. Falquetto, E. Colombari, Y.I. Molkov, T.S. Moreira, A.C. Takakura (2018) Interaction between the retrotrapezoid nucleus and the parafacial respiratory group to regulate active expiration and sympathetic activity in rats, Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2018 Sep 6. [Epub ahead of print]
J. Ausborn, H. Koizumi, W.H. Barnett, T. John, R. Zhang, Y.I. Molkov, J.C. Smith, I.A. Rybak (2018) Organization of the core respiratory network: Insights from optogenetic and modeling studies, PLoS Comput Biol. 14(4):e1006148.
D.V. Zaretsky, A.A. Romanovsky, M.V. Zaretskaia, Y.I. Molkov (2018) Tissue oxidative metabolism can increase the difference between local temperature and arterial blood temperature by up to 1.3oC: Implications for brain, brown adipose tissue, and muscle physiology, Temperature 5(1): 22\9635. https://doi.org/10.1080/23328940.2018.1437311
W.H. Barnett, S. Jenkin, W. Milsom, J.F.R. Paton, A.P.L. Abdala#, Y.I. Molkov#, D.B. Zoccal# (2018) Kolliker-Fuse orchestrates the timing of exipratory abdominal nerve bursting, J. Neurophysiol. 119(2):401-412. #joint senior authors
A. Behrouzvaziri, Y. Yoo, M.V. Zaretskaia, D.E. Rusyniak, D.V. Zaretsky, Y.I. Molkov (2018) Circadian variability of body temperature responses to methamphetamine, Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 314: R43\96R48.
W.W. Teka, K. Hamade, W.H. Barnett, T. Kim, S.N. Markin, I.A. Rybak, Y.I. Molkov (2017) From motor cortex to the movement and back again, PLOS One 12(6): e0179288. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0179288.
T. Kim, K. Hamade, D. Todorov, W. Barnett, R. Capps, E. Latash, S. Markin, I. Rybak, Y. Molkov (2017) Reward based motor adaptation mediated by basal ganglia, Frontiers in Computational Neurosceince 11(19). doi: 10.3389/fncom.2017.00019
Y.I. Molkov, J.E. Rubin, I.A. Rybak, J.C. Smith (2016) Computational Models of the Neural Control of Breathing, WIREs Systems Biology and Medicine, doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1371.
E. Morozova, Y. Yoo, A. Behrouzvaziri, M. Zaretskaia, D. Rusyniak, D. Zaretsky, Y.I. Molkov (2016) Amphetamine enhances endurance by increasing heat dissipation, Physiological Reports, 1(17):e12955.
Y.I. Molkov, D.V. Zaretsky (2016) Why is it easier to run in the cold? Temperature 3(4): 1-3. doi: 10.1080/23328940.2016.1201182
W.H. Barnett, A.P. Abdala, J.F.R. Paton, I.A. Rybak, D.B. Zoccal, Y.I. Molkov (2017) Chemoreception and neuroplasticity in respiratory circuits, Experimental Neurology 287: 153-164, doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2016.05.036
V. Marchenko, H. Koizumi, B. Mosher, M. Tariq, N. Koshiya, T. Bezdudnaya, R. Zhang, Y. Molkov, I. Rybak, J. Smith (2016) Perturbations of Respiratory Rhythm and Pattern by Disrupting Synaptic Inhibition within Pre-Botzinger and Botzinger Complexes, eNeuro March/April 2016, 3(2) e0011-16.2016
B.J. Bacak, J. Segaran, Y.I. Molkov (2016) Modeling the effects of extracellular potassium on bursting properties in pre-Botzinger complex neurons, J Comput Neurosci. 2016 Apr;40(2):231-45. doi: 10.1007/s10827-016-0594-8.

Upcoming Publications

Y. Molkov, F. Krust, R. Jeter, M. Mohammed, F. Brocard, and I. Rybak (2025) Ionic Mechanisms Underlying Bistability in Spinal Motoneurons: Insights from a Computational Model. bioRxiv: doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.06.658369.

Recent and Upcoming Presentations

07/2025	34th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting, Florence, Italy Mechanisms of bistability in spinal motoneurons and its regulation
06/2024	Congress International MotoNeuron Society 2024, Bordeaux, France Mechanisms of bistability in spinal motoneurons: a comparative analysis
05/2024	Neuromechanics of Locomotion, Champery, Switzerland Invited talk: A Minimalistic Neuromechanical Model for Studying Mouse Locomotion
11/2023	Drexel University Discovery Day, Philadelphia, PA Control Mechanisms for Quadrupedal Locomotor Turning
08/2023	GSU Summer Research Symposium, Atlanta. GA Models for Alzheimer\92s disease prognosis: Integrating Beta-Amyloid Biomarkers and Cognitive Tests
06/2023	Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines (AMAM) 2023, Kobe, Japan Comparative investigation of control mechanisms for turning during quadrupedal robot locomotion
03/2023	AAIC Advancements: APOE, St. Louis, Missouri APOE4 allele presence strongly correlates with beta-amyloid cellular uptake rate
12/2022	Smithfest 2022, Washington, DC Invited talk: Inhibitory control of active expiration by the Botzinger Complex
11/2022	Neuroscience 2022, San Diego, CA On the role of sensory feedback and central neuronal interactions in locomotor gait and balance control in quadrupeds Comparative investigation of control mechanisms of locomotion and turning using a simulated quadrupedal robot
08/2022	Alzheimer's Association International Conference, San Diego, CA Bridging the gap between cellular amyloid metabolism and Alzheimer's disease clinical data
07/2021	Alzheimer's Association International Conference, Denver, CO Lysosomal permeabilization as a mechanism of amyloid degradation toxicity in Alzheimer's disease
06/2021	Virtual SMB 2021 Annual Meeting, Riverside, CA Invited talk: Control of steering in quadrupedal locomotion
10/2020	2020 Virtual Workshop on Motor Control, Cleveland, OH Invited talk: Complicated relationships between respiration, heart beat and blood pressure
10/2020	13th Annual Society for Neuroscience Satellite Symposium on Motor Systems, Washington, DC Invited talk: Neural Mechanisms of Cardio-Respiratory Interactions
10/2019	Neuroscience 2019, Chicago, IL Cats stepping on a split belt treadmill reveal a functional organization of commissural interactions within the spinal locomotor circuits Expiratory inhibition is a mechanism for adaptive control of breathing
07/2019	Computational Neuroscience 2019, Barcelona, Spain Sympathetic and parasympathetic mechanisms of enhanced respiratory modulation of blood pressure and heart rate during slow deep breathing Pontine mechanisms of abnormal breathing Interlimb coordination during split-belt locomotion: a modeling study
05/2019	SIAM Conference on Applications of Dynamical Systems 2019, Snowbird, UT Cardio-Respiratory Interactions: Neural Mechanisms Invited talk: Left-right coordination in the mammalian locomotor CPG
11/2018	Neuroscience 2018, San Diego, CA Brainstem mechanisms of cardio-ventilatory coupling The role of striatal tonically active neurons in reinforcement learning: a modeling study Sympathetic overactivity after chronic intermittent hypoxia has different mechanisms in male and female rats
07/2018	Computational Neuroscience 2018, Seattle, WA Functional role of 5-HT1A receptors in serotonergic modulation of active exhalation Brainstem mechanisms of cardio-respiratory coupling Cholinergic modulation of reinforcement learning in the striatum Invited talk: TRP channels and intracellular calcium dynamics in the pre-B\F6tzinger complex
06/2018	2018 CRCNS PI Meeting, University of California, Berkeley, CA Serotonergic modulation of breathing: functional role of 5-HT1A receptors
05/2018	Society for the Neural Control of Movement 28th Annual Meeting, Santa Fe, New Mexico Interactions of balance control and locomotion in cats walking on a split-belt
03/2018	95th Annual meeting of the Physiological Society of Japan, Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan Reconstructed postsynaptic excitatory and inhibitory conductance profiles of respiratory interneurons in rat brainstem in situ reveal network organization of respiratory CPG
11/2017	Neuroscience 2017, Washington, DC Frontal plane dynamics of quadrupedal locomotion on a split-belt treadmill Homeostatic motor adaptation: cerebellum's failure emboldens basal ganglia Inhibitory interactions in the brainstem respiratory circuits: Insights from optogenetic studies and computational modeling Local glutamatergic transmission in the RTN/pFRG is critical for active expiration and sympathetic overactivity during hypercapnia
09/2017	XIV Oxford Conference on Modelling and Control of Breathing, Oxford, United Kingdom Invited talk: TRP channels and intracellular calcium dynamics in the pre-B\F6tzinger complex
07/2017	Computational Neuroscience 2017, Antwerp, Belgium The interplay between basal ganglia and cerebellum in motor adaptation
06/2017	CRCNS PI Meeting 2017, Brown University, Providence, RI Optogenetic probing of glycinergic neuron function in brainstem respiratory circuits
05/2017	SIAM Conference on Applications of Dynamical Systems, Snowbird, UT Glycinergic neurons in the pre-Botzinger complex are crucial for eupnea: an optogenetic study
04/2017	Georgia Tech School of Applied Physiology Research Seminar, Atlanta, GA Invited talk: The interplay between cerebellum and basal ganglia in motor adaptation
12/2016	Workshop on Computational Modeling of Respiratory Central Pattern Generators, University of Pittsburgh, PA Invited talk: Kolliker-Fuse Orchestrates Timing Of Abdominal Nerve Bursting
11/2016	Neuroscience 2016, San Diego, CA Kolliker Fuse orchestrates timing of abdominal nerve bursting Glycinergic neurons in the pre-Botzinger complex are crucial for eupnea: an optogenetic study Optogenetic stimulation of pre-Botzinger complex and Botzinger complex inhibitory neurons reveals a major role of inhibition in respiratory central pattern generation Reward based motor adaptation mediated by basal ganglia
10/2016	CRCNS Conference 2016, Paris, France Kolliker-Fuse Orchestrates Timing Of Abdominal Nerve Bursting
07/2016	Computational Neuroscience 2016, Jeju, South Korea Action Selection and Reinforcement Learning in Basal Ganglia during Reaching Movements Invited talk: Coupled oscillations in the brainstem respiratory circuits and neurogenic hypertension

Full list of publications ->

Molkov's Theoretical Neuroscience Group

Current and Former PhD Students

Associate Professor

Current and Former Postdocs