Languages

 

 

French (native)

 

English (fluent)

Education & training

 

 

2008 - 2013

 

Postdoctoral training, Dept of Neuroscience, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada

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2007

 

Doctor of Philosophy, Neuroscience, University of Aix-Marseille II, Marseille, France

 

2003

 

Master of Neuroscience – Claude Bernard University of Lyon I, Lyon, France

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University qualification – Animal testing and ethics - Ecole Normale Supérieure, Lyon, France

 

2001

 

Bachelor in Cellular Biology and Neurophysiology – University of Franche-Comté, Besancon, France

 

1998

 

High School Diploma, Besançon, France

Research activities

 

Published papers

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Thura D, Cisek P. (2017) The basal ganglia do not select reach targets but control the urgency of commitment. Neuron. 95(5):1160-1170. 

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Thura D, Guberman G, Cisek P. (2017) Trial-to-trial adjustments of speed-accuracy tradeoffs in the premotor and primary motor cortex. Journal of Neurophysiology. 117(2): 665-683.

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Thura D. (2016) How to discriminate conclusively among different models of decision-making? Journal of Neurophysiology. 115(5): 2251-2254.

 

Carland M, Marcos E, Thura D, Cisek P. (2016) Evidence against sensory integration models of perceptual decisions.

Journal of Neurophysiology. 115(2):915-930.

 

Thura D, Cisek P. (2016) Modulation of premotor and primary motor cortical activity during volitional adjustments of speed-accuracy trade-offs. Journal of Neuroscience. 36(3):938-956.

 

Carland M, Thura D, Cisek P. (2015) The urgency-gating model can explain the effects of early evidence. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 22(6):1830-1838.

 

Thura D, Cos I, Trung J, Cisek P. (2014) Context-dependent urgency influences speed-accuracy trade-offs in decision-making and movement execution. Journal of Neuroscience. 34(39): 16442-16454.

 

Thura D, Cisek P. (2014) Deliberation and commitment in the premotor and primary motor cortex during dynamic decision-making. Neuron. 81(6): 1401-1416.

 

Thura D, Beauregard-Racine J, Fradet C-W, Cisek P. (2012) Decision-making by urgency-gating: theory and experimental support. Journal of Neurophysiology. 108(11): 2912-30. 

 

Thura D, Hadj-Bouziane F, Meunier M, Boussaoud D. (2011) Hand modulation of visual, preparatory, and saccadic activity in the monkey frontal eye field. Cerebral Cortex. 21(4): 853-864. 

 

Thura D, Boussaoud D, Meunier M. (2008) Hand position influences saccadic reaction times in monkey and man. Journal of Neurophysiology. 99:2194-2202. 

 

Thura D, Hadj-Bouziane F, Meunier M, Boussaoud D. (2008) Hand position modulates saccadic activity in the Frontal Eye Field. Behavioral Brain Research. 186:148-153.

 

 

Published abstract  

 

Talks

 

Thura D, Cisek P. Embodied decision-making during interactive behavior in a dynamic world. The Japan Neuroscience Society, Yokohama (Japan), 2016

 

Thura D, Cisek P. Evidence that the globus pallidus provide an urgency signal for decision-making. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, Chicago (USA), 2015.

 

Cabana JF, Thura D, Cisek P. The neural dynamics of dynamic decisions. Translational and Computational Motor Control (TCMC), Washington DC (USA), 2014.

 

Thura D, Cisek P. Micro-stimulation of premotor and motor cortex affects choice duration during dynamic decision-making. Canadian Neuroscience Meeting Satellite, Montreal (Canada), 2014.

 

Thura D, Cisek P. Neural bases of speed-accuracy trade-off adjustments during decision-making and movement execution in monkeys. Society for Neuroscience, New Orleans (USA), 2012.

 

Thura D, Cisek P. Monkey premotor and motor cortex reflect decision process and determine the commitment to initiate a reaching movement. Society for the Neural Control of Movement, Venice (Italy), 2012.

 

Thura D, Cisek P. Monkey frontal cortex reflects the time course of changing evidence for reach decisions. Canadian Physiological Society, Sainte-Adèle (Canada), 2011.

 

 

Posters (selected)

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Thura D, Cisek P. Globus pallidus activity during short-term adjustments of the speed-accuracy trade-off in a reach selection task. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, Washington DC (USA), 2017

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Thura D, Cisek P. The basal ganglia control the urgency of a reach choice, but not the choice itself. Canadian Association for Neuroscience annual meeting, Montreal (Canada), 2017.

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Thura D, Cisek P. The basal ganglia control the urgency of a reach choice, but not the choice itself. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, San Diego (USA), 2016.

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Guberman G, Thura D, Cisek P. Neural correlates of trial-to-trial adjustments of speed-accuracy trade-offs in premotor and primary motor cortex. Canadian Neuroscience annual meeting, Toronto (Canada), 2016.

 

Cisek P, Cabana J-F, Thura D, Feghaly A. The dynamics of neuronal populations during decision-making. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, Chicago (USA), 2015.

 

Thura D, Cisek P. Micro-stimulation of premotor and motor cortex delays the commitment to an action choice. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, Washington DC (USA), 2014.

 

Thura D, Trung J, Cisek P. A common urgency/vigor signal governs speed/accuracy trade-offs during both decision-making and movement execution. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, San Diego (USA), 2013.

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Thura D, Cisek P. A common urgency/vigor signal governs speed/accuracy trade-offs during both decision-making and movement execution. Society for Neural Control of Movement meeting, Puerto Rico (USA), 2013.

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Thura D, Cisek P. A common urgency/vigor signal governs speed/accuracy trade-offs during both decision-making and movement execution. Canadian Association for Neuroscience meeting, Toronto (Canada), 2013.

 

Thura D, Cisek P. Neural activity during adjustment of the speed-accuracy trade-off in a reach decision task. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, Washington DC (USA) 2011.

 

Thura D, Cisek P. Neural activity during adjustment of the speed-accuracy trade-off in a reach decision task. 7th annual GRSNC retreat, Orford (Canada) 2011.

 

Thura D, Cisek P. Monkey frontal cortex reflects the time course of changing evidence for reach decisions. Canadian Association for Neuroscience, Quebec City (Canada) 2011.

 

Coallier E, Michelet T, Thura D, Kalaska J. Possible roles of PMd, M1 and DLPFC in decision making. Canadian Physiological Society, Sainte-Adèle (Canada), 2011.

 

Thura D, Cisek P. Monkey frontal cortex reflects the time course of changing evidence for reach decisions. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, San Diego (USA), 2010.

 

Belmalih A, Thura D, Isbaine F, Brovelli A, Demolliens M, Meunier M, Boussaoud D. Neural Correlates of observational learning in the macaque monkey. Society for Neuroscience meeting, San Diego (USA), 2010.

 

Thura D, Beauregard-Racine J, Cisek P. Human decisions in noisy, changing conditions. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, Chicago (USA), 2009.

 

Michelet T, Coallier E, Thura D, Kalaska JF. Neural correlates of preferential implementation of a color/location conjunction rule in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPF) relative to dorsal premotor cortex (PMd). Society for Neuroscience, Chicago (USA), 2009. 

 

Thura D, Meunier M, Boussaoud D. Hand position effects on FEF visual activity. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, San Diego (USA), 2007.

 

Thura D, Hadj-Bouziane F, Boussaoud D. Effects of arm position on frontal eye field neuronal activity in the monkey. Journée de Psychiatrie Biologique & Neurosciences, Casablanca (Maroc), 2005. 

 

Thura D, Hadj-Bouziane F, Boussaoud D. Effects of arm position on frontal eye field neuronal activity in the monkey. French Society of Neuroscience meeting, Lille (France), 2005. 

 

Thura D, Hadj-Bouziane F, Boussaoud D. Effects of arm position on frontal eye field neuronal activity in the monkey. Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, San Diego (USA), 2004.

 

 

Teaching activities 

 

Strong experience with students supervision, acquired during both my PhD research and my postdoc training.

Moreover, I am now strongly involved in teaching various courses as an assistant, a principal or a volunteer teacher at the University of Montreal.

 

2017:

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Teacher as a volunteer of a course on the use of Matlab for statistics (graduate students) - ADENUM - University of Montreal

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Teaching assistant of the course #7 of NSC-2004 (undergraduate degree) on reaction times - University of Montreal

 

Teaching assistant: course NSC-2002 (Discussion of a scientific paper) - University of Montreal

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2016:

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Teacher of the course #11 of NSC-2002 (undergraduate degree) on movement planning and premotor associative cortical areas - University of Montreal

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Teacher of the course #7 of NSC-2004 (undergraduate degree) on reaction times - University of Montreal
 

Teaching assistant: course NSC-2002 (Discussion of a scientific paper) and course NSC-2004 (introduction to Matlab, differential equations) at University of Montreal

 

2015: 

 

Teaching assistant during the course NSC-2006 (Discussion of a scientific paper, Introduction to Matlab, differential equations, reaction times) at University of Montreal

 

2014: 

 

Teaching assistant during the course NSC-2002 (Discussion of a paper) at University of Montreal

 

 

 

Funding 

 

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As a research associate:

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2017: ATIP-Avenir (CNRS/Inserm) grant

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As a post-doctoral fellow

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2011-2013: External funding #2: Groupe de Recherche sur le Systeme Nerveux Central (GRSNC) postdoctoral fellowship, 90.000 $

 

2008-2010: External funding #1: Fyssen postdoctoral fellowship, 50.000 €

 

 

As a Ph.D. candidate:

 

2005: Association en NeuroPsychologie et Pharmacologie Grant, 1.500 € 

 

 

As an undergraduate student:

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2002-2003: Master fellowship, French ministry of research, 3.700 € / year 

 

2001-2002: Studentship Grant, French ministry of research, 3.500 € / year 

 

1999-2000: Studentship Grant, French ministry of research, 2.200 € / year 

 

 

 

Other professional activities

 

Reviewing for:

 

Neuron

Scientific reports

Nature communications

NeuroImage

Brain Stimulation

The European Journal of Neuroscience

Journal of Neuroscience

Journal of Neurophysiology

Frontiers

Plos One

Experimental Brain Research

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)

The Research Foundation Flanders (FWO)

 

 

 

Recognition 

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Invited Talks

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2018 - Brain circuits of urgent decisions for actions. Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Marseille, France.

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2018 - Brain circuits of urgent decisions for actions. Université du Québec a Montréal (UQAM) - Département d'informatique, Montréal, Canada.

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2017 - Brain circuits of urgent decisions for actions. Centre de Recherche en Neurosciences de Lyon,  Inserm U1028 - CNRS UMR5292, Bron, France.

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2017 - The basal ganglia do not select reach targets but control the urgency of commitment. Computational and System Neuroscience (Cosyne) annual meeting workshop, Salt Lake City (USA).

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2016 - Adjustments of the speed/accuracy trade-off during decision-making: causes and neural bases. GRSNC, University of Montreal, Department of Neuroscience, Montreal, QC, Canada

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2016 - Embodied decision-making during interactive behavior in a dynamic world. Center for Information and Neural Networks. Osaka, Japan

 

2015 - Embodied decision-making during interactive behavior in a dynamic world. Centre de Neuroscience Cognitive, UMR 5229, CNRS et Université Claude Bernard Lyon I, Bron, France

 

2015 - Embodied decision-making during interactive behavior in a dynamic world. University of California, Berkeley, Department of Psychology, Berkeley, CA, USA

 

2014 - Dynamic decisions about actions: neural correlates of the urgency-gating model. GRSNC, University of Montreal, Department of Physiology, Montreal, QC, Canada

 

2014 - Dynamic decisions about actions: Evidence for an embodied, urgency-based mechanism for reward rate maximization. Institut de Neurosciences des Systemes, Marseille, France.

 

2013 - Deliberation and commitment to an action choice in the monkey premotor and primary motor cortex. GRSNC annual retreat, Orford (Qc), Canada. 

 

2012 - Decision-making, choice commitment and action execution in the sensorimotor cortex: the urgency hypothesis. SBRI, Inserm U846, Lyon, France. 

 

2012 - Decision-making, choice commitment and action execution in the sensorimotor cortex: the urgency hypothesis. GRSNC, University of Montreal, Department of Physiology, Montreal, QC, Canada. 

 

2010 - Monkey frontal cortex reflects the time course of changing evidence for reach decision. Institut de

Neurosciences Cognitives de la Méditerranée, CNRS-Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France.

 

2009 - Human and monkey decisions in changing conditions. IFNL, Inserm U864, Bron, France.

 

2009 - Human and monkey decisions in changing conditions. GRSNC, University of Montreal, Department of Physiology, Montreal, QC, Canada. 

 

2008 - Hand position and neuronal activity in the monkey frontal eye field. GRSNC, University of Montreal, Department of Physiology, Montreal, QC, Canada. 

 

 

Book chapter

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Cisek P, Thura D. Neural circuits for action selection. In book: Reach-to-grasp behavior: brain, behavior, and modelling across the life span. Eds: Daniela Corbetta and Marco Santello. In press.

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Non peer-reviewed articles

 

Thura D, Cisek P. (2016) On the difference between evidence accumulator models and the urgency gating model. Journal of Neurophysiology. 115(1): 622-623.

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Thura D (2012) Temporal dynamic of decision-making in changing conditions: the "urgency" hypothesis. Fyssen foundation annals. 26:95-112 

 

 

Award

 

2012 - Travel award for the 22nd annual meeting of the Society for the Neural Control of Movement - 1000$

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Press and general audience publication

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2016 - Les décisions se prennent en agissant. Journal FORUM. Université de Montréal.

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Technical and programming skills

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Expert in monkey training on complex behavioral tasks

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Expert in multi-electrode single unit recordings, intra and subcortical stimulation in awake and behaving monkey

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Familiar with psychophysical techniques in human

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Strong experience in programming and custom data analysis with MATLAB 

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Experience in computational modelling

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Familiar with LabView (for task design and presentation, behavior monitoring, stimulation control, etc)

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Familiar with the neuro-navigation software Brainsight

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Autonomous with animal preparation for chronic electrophysiological procedures (surgery, implants, recovery)

2010 - present

2010 - present