Marc A. Sommer | Scholars@Duke

Marc A. Sommer
Professor of Biomedical Engineering

We study circuits for cognition. Using a combination of neurophysiology and biomedical engineering, we focus on the interaction between brain areas during visual perception, decision-making, and motor planning. Specific projects include the role of frontal cortex in metacognition, the role of cerebellar-frontal circuits in action timing, the neural basis of "good enough" decision-making (satisficing), and the neural mechanisms of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS).

Current Research Interests

Neuronal circuits of the brain, including recording from single neurons and studying the effects of inactivating or stimulating well-defined brain areas. His goals are to understand how individual areas process signals and how multiple areas interact to cause cognition and behavior. Results from the work are guiding the design of vision-based models and robots.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering 2023
Associate Professor in Neurobiology, Neurobiology, Basic Science Departments 2011
Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, Psychology & Neuroscience, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences 2018
Investigator in the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, University Institutes and Centers 2010
Member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke Institute for Brain Sciences 2010
Associate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society, Duke Science & Society, Initiatives 2017

Contact Information

1427 Ciemas, Box 90281, 101 Science Dr., Durham, NC 27708
Duke Box 90281, Durham, NC 27708-0281
marc.sommer@duke.edu (919) 684-7015
Google Scholar
Sommer Lab

Background
Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1995
Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering 2017 - 2023
- W. H. Gardner, Jr. Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering 2017 - 2022
- Director of Undergraduate Studies, Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering 2014 - 2017
- Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering 2010 - 2016
Recognition
In the News
- APR 18, 2017
  
  Five Faculty Named Bass Fellows for Excellence in Teaching and Research
Awards & Honors
Expertise
Subject Headings
Global Scholarship
- Teaching
Research
Selected Grants
- Enhancement, mapping, and validation of viral vectors for primate optogenetics awarded by National Institutes of Health 2022 - 2026
- Probing D2 and 5HT-2A mechanisms in early visual processing in V1 awarded by National Institutes of Health 2023 - 2025
- Circuit-Specific Interrogation of the Primate Claustrum awarded by National Institutes of Health 2022 - 2025
- Duke Research in Engineering Program awarded by Burroughs Wellcome Fund 2022 - 2025
- Rational Design of TMS for Neuromodulation awarded by National Institutes of Health 2020 - 2025
- RNA-programmable cell type targeting and manipulation across vertebrate nervous systems awarded by National Institutes of Health 2021 - 2024
- Optogenetic dissection of inter-hemispheric frontal eye field circuits for eye movements awarded by University of Pittsburgh 2022 - 2024
- Neurobiology Training Program awarded by National Institutes of Health 2019 - 2024
- Theoretical and Physiological Basis of Priority Maps in the Frontal Eye Field awarded by National Institutes of Health 2022 - 2024
- Impact of Timing, Targeting, and Brain State on rTMS of Human and Non-Human Primates awarded by National Institutes of Health 2017 - 2022
- Psychophysics-Guided Signal Processing for Retinal Prosthetics awarded by National Institutes of Health 2018 - 2021
- Neuromuscular Control of Primate Eye Movements awarded by National Institutes of Health 2019 - 2021
- Rational Design of TMS for Neuromodulation awarded by National Institutes of Health 2014 - 2021
- Neuronal Control of Eye Alignment awarded by Hartwell Foundation 2017 - 2019
- The Role of Frontal Cortex in Primate Metacognition awarded by National Science Foundation 2015 - 2019
- Thrust 1: Biophysical Modeling of Satisficing Control Strategies as Derived from Quantification of Primate Brain Activity and Psychophysics awarded by Office of Naval Research 2013 - 2018
- Basic predoctoral training in neuroscience awarded by National Institutes of Health 1992 - 2018
- Visual Continuity Across Saccades awarded by National Institutes of Health 2016
- Student Design Projects for People with Disabilities at Duke University awarded by National Science Foundation 2010 - 2016
- Training in Fundamental &Translational Neuroscience awarded by National Institutes of Health 2005 - 2016
- Functions of Saccadic Circuits in Lateral Cerebellar Cortex awarded by National Institutes of Health 2012 - 2014
- Effects of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation on Neurons in Behaving Primates awarded by National Institutes of Health 2012 - 2014
- Visuomotor Functions of Ascending Pathways to Frontal Cortex awarded by National Institutes of Health 2006 - 2012
Publications & Artistic Works
Selected Publications
- Academic Articles
  - Daw, Tierney B., Hala G. El-Nahal, Michele A. Basso, Elizabeth J. Jun, Alex R. Bautista, R Jude Samulski, Marc A. Sommer, and Martin O. Bohlen. “Direct Comparison of Epifluorescence and Immunostaining for Assessing Viral Mediated Gene Expression in the Primate Brain.” Human Gene Therapy 34, no. 5–6 (March 2023): 228–46. https://doi.org/10.1089/hum.2022.194.
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  - Goetz, Stefan M., Bryan Howell, Boshuo Wang, Zhongxi Li, Marc A. Sommer, Angel V. Peterchev, and Warren M. Grill. “Isolating two sources of variability of subcortical stimulation to quantify fluctuations of corticospinal tract excitability.” Clin Neurophysiol 138 (June 2022): 134–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2022.02.009.
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  - Caruso, Valeria C., Daniel S. Pages, Marc A. Sommer, and Jennifer M. Groh. “Compensating for a shifting world: evolving reference frames of visual and auditory signals across three multimodal brain areas.” Journal of Neurophysiology 126, no. 1 (July 2021): 82–94. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00385.2020.
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  - Liu, Sicong, Jillian M. Clements, Elayna P. Kirsch, Hrishikesh M. Rao, David J. Zielinski, Yvonne Lu, Boyla O. Mainsah, et al. “Psychophysiological Markers of Performance and Learning during Simulated Marksmanship in Immersive Virtual Reality.” J Cogn Neurosci 33, no. 7 (June 1, 2021): 1253–70. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01713.
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  - Tremblay, Sébastien, Leah Acker, Arash Afraz, Daniel L. Albaugh, Hidetoshi Amita, Ariana R. Andrei, Alessandra Angelucci, et al. “An Open Resource for Non-human Primate Optogenetics.” Neuron 108, no. 6 (December 23, 2020): 1075-1090.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.09.027.
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  - Cushnie, Adriana K., Hala G. El-Nahal, Martin O. Bohlen, Paul J. May, Michele A. Basso, Piercesare Grimaldi, Maya Zhe Wang, Marron Fernandez de Velasco Ezequiel, Marc A. Sommer, and Sarah R. Heilbronner. “Using rAAV2-retro in rhesus macaques: Promise and caveats for circuit manipulation.” Journal of Neuroscience Methods 345 (November 2020): 108859. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneumeth.2020.108859.
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  - Bohlen, Martin O., Thomas J. McCown, Sara K. Powell, Hala G. El-Nahal, Tierney Daw, Michele A. Basso, Marc A. Sommer, and R Jude Samulski. “Adeno-Associated Virus Capsid-Promoter Interactions in the Brain Translate from Rat to the Nonhuman Primate.” Human Gene Therapy 31, no. 21–22 (November 2020): 1155–68. https://doi.org/10.1089/hum.2020.196.
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  - Gamboa Arana, Olga Lucia, Hannah Palmer, Moritz Dannhauer, Connor Hile, Sicong Liu, Rena Hamdan, Alexandra Brito, et al. “Intensity- and timing-dependent modulation of motion perception with transcranial magnetic stimulation of visual cortex.” Neuropsychologia 147 (October 2020): 107581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107581.
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  - Gamboa, Olga Lucia, Alexandra Brito, Zachary Abzug, Tracy D’Arbeloff, Lysianne Beynel, Erik A. Wing, Moritz Dannhauer, et al. “Application of long-interval paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation to motion-sensitive visual cortex does not lead to changes in motion discrimination.” Neurosci Lett 730 (June 21, 2020): 135022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135022.
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  - Gamboa Arana, Olga Lucia, Hannah Palmer, Moritz Dannhauer, Connor Hile, Sicong Liu, Rena Hamdan, Alexandra Brito, et al. “Dose-dependent enhancement of motion direction discrimination with transcranial magnetic stimulation of visual cortex,” 2020. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.06.14.151118.
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  - Abzug, Zachary M., Marc A. Sommer, and Jeffrey M. Beck. “Properties of decision-making tasks govern the tradeoff between model-based and model-free learning,” August 14, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1101/730663.
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  - Toader, Andrew C., Hrishikesh M. Rao, Minyoung Ryoo, Martin O. Bohlen, Jessi S. Cruger, Hanna Oh-Descher, Silvia Ferrari, Tobias Egner, Jeff Beck, and Marc A. Sommer. “Probabilistic inferential decision-making under time pressure in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).” J Comp Psychol 133, no. 3 (August 2019): 380–96. https://doi.org/10.1037/com0000168.
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  - Caruso, Valeria C., Daniel S. Pages, Marc A. Sommer, and Jennifer M. Groh. “Compensating for a shifting world: evolving reference frames of visual and auditory signals across three multimodal brain areas,” June 13, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1101/669333.
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  - Subramanian, Divya, Anthony Alers, and Marc Sommer. “Corollary discharge for action and cognition (Accepted).” Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, May 30, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.05.010.
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  - Abzug, Zachary M., and Marc A. Sommer. “Neuronal correlates of serial decision-making in the supplementary eye field.” Journal of Neuroscience 38, no. 33 (August 15, 2018): 7280–92.
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  - Abzug, Z. M., and M. A. Sommer. “Serial decision-making in monkeys during an oculomotor task.” Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition 44, no. 1 (January 2018): 95–102. https://doi.org/10.1037/xan0000154.
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  - Rao, Hrishikesh M., Rajan Khanna, David J. Zielinski, Yvonne Lu, Jillian M. Clements, Nicholas D. Potter, Marc A. Sommer, Regis Kopper, and Lawrence G. Appelbaum. “Sensorimotor Learning during a Marksmanship Task in Immersive Virtual Reality.” Front Psychol 9 (2018): 58. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00058.
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  - Caruso, valeria, daniel Pages, M. A. Sommer, and jennifer Groh. “Beyond the labeled line: variation in visual reference frames from intraparietal cortex to frontal eye fields and the superior colliculus.” Journal of Neurophysiology In Press (December 20, 2017). https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00584.2017.
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  - Oh-Descher, Hanna, Jeffrey M. Beck, Silvia Ferrari, Marc A. Sommer, and Tobias Egner. “Probabilistic inference under time pressure leads to a cortical-to-subcortical shift in decision evidence integration.” Neuroimage 162 (November 15, 2017): 138–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.08.069.
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  - Oh, Hanna, Jeffrey M. Beck, Pingping Zhu, Marc A. Sommer, Silvia Ferrari, and Tobias Egner. “Satisficing in split-second decision making is characterized by strategic cue discounting.” J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn 42, no. 12 (December 2016): 1937–56. https://doi.org/10.1037/xlm0000284.
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  - Rao, Hrishikesh M., J Patrick Mayo, and Marc A. Sommer. “Circuits for presaccadic visual remapping.” J Neurophysiol 116, no. 6 (December 1, 2016): 2624–36. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00182.2016.
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  - Rao, H. M., J. San Juan, F. Y. Shen, J. E. Villa, K. S. Rafie, and M. A. Sommer. “Neural network evidence for the coupling of presaccadic visual remapping to predictive eye position updating.” Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience 10 (June 2, 2016). https://doi.org/10.3389/fncom.2016.00052.
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  - Raghavan, R. T., V. Prevosto, and M. A. Sommer. “Contribution of cerebellar loops to action timing.” Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences 8 (March 9, 2016): 28–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.01.008.
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  - Caruso, V. C., D. S. Pages, M. A. Sommer, and J. M. Groh. “Similar prevalence and magnitude of auditory-evoked and visually-evoked activity in the frontal eye fields: Implications for multisensory motor control.” Journal of Neurophysiology in press (March 2, 2016). https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00935.2015.
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  - Rao, Hrishikesh M., Zachary M. Abzug, and Marc A. Sommer. “Visual continuity across saccades is influenced by expectations.” Journal of Vision 16, no. 5 (January 2016): 7. https://doi.org/10.1167/16.5.7.
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  - Zielinski, David J., Hrishikesh M. Rao, Nicholas D. Potter, Marc A. Sommer, Lawrence G. Appelbaum, and Regis Kopper. “Evaluating the Effects of Image Persistence on Dynamic Target Acquisition in Low Frame Rate Virtual Environments.” 3d User Interfaces (3dui), 2016 Ieee Symposium On, 2016.
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  - Mayo, J Patrick, Amie R. DiTomasso, Marc A. Sommer, and Matthew A. Smith. “Dynamics of visual receptive fields in the macaque frontal eye field.” J Neurophysiol 114, no. 6 (December 2015): 3201–10. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00746.2015.
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  - Grigsby, E. M., M. J. Koval, M. V. Smith, J. K. Mueller, Z. D. Deng, A. Peterchev, W. M. Grill, and M. A. Sommer. “Neural Effects of rTMS: Single Neuron Recordings From a Rhesus Macaque.” Journal of Ect 31, no. 3 (September 1, 2015): E33–E33.
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  - Zielinski, David J., Hrishikesh M. Rao, Marc A. Sommer, and Regis Kopper. “Exploring the Effects of Image Persistence in Low Frame Rate Virtual Environments.” Proceedings of the Ieee Virtual Reality Conference, 2015.
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  - Matthews, W. J., D. B. Terhune, H. van Rijn, D. M. Eagleman, M. A. Sommer, and W. A. Meck. “Subjective duration as a signature of coding efficiency: Emerging links among stimulus repetition, predictive coding, and cortical GABA levels.” Timing & Time Perception Reviews 1 (December 1, 2014).
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  - Mitchell, Anna S., S Murray Sherman, Marc A. Sommer, Robert G. Mair, Robert P. Vertes, and Yogita Chudasama. “Advances in understanding mechanisms of thalamic relays in cognition and behavior.” The Journal of Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience 34, no. 46 (November 2014): 15340–46. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.3289-14.2014.
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  - Mueller, Jerel K., Erinn M. Grigsby, Vincent Prevosto, Frank W. Petraglia, Hrishikesh Rao, Zhi-De Deng, Angel V. Peterchev, et al. “Simultaneous transcranial magnetic stimulation and single-neuron recording in alert non-human primates.” Nat Neurosci 17, no. 8 (August 2014): 1130–36. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3751.
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  - Prevosto, Vincent, and Marc A. Sommer. “Cognitive control of movement via the cerebellar-recipient thalamus.” Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience 7 (October 2013): 56. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2013.00056.
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  - Ashmore, Robin C., and Marc A. Sommer. “Delay activity of saccade-related neurons in the caudal dentate nucleus of the macaque cerebellum.” Journal of Neurophysiology 109, no. 8 (April 2013): 2129–44. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00906.2011.
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  - Smith, Matthew A., and Marc A. Sommer. “Spatial and temporal scales of neuronal correlation in visual area V4.” The Journal of Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience 33, no. 12 (March 2013): 5422–32. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.4782-12.2013.
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  - Mayo, J Patrick, and Marc A. Sommer. “Neuronal correlates of visual time perception at brief timescales.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 110, no. 4 (January 22, 2013): 1506–11. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1217177110.
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  - Shin, Sooyoon, and Marc A. Sommer. “Division of labor in frontal eye field neurons during presaccadic remapping of visual receptive fields.” Journal of Neurophysiology 108, no. 8 (October 2012): 2144–59. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00204.2012.
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  - Mayo, J. P., A. DiTomasso, M. Sommer, and M. A. Smith. “An improved method for mapping neuronal receptive fields in prefrontal cortex.” Journal of Vision 12, no. 9 (August 10, 2012): 81–81. https://doi.org/10.1167/12.9.81.
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  - Middlebrooks, Paul G., and Marc A. Sommer. “Neuronal correlates of metacognition in primate frontal cortex.” Neuron 75, no. 3 (August 2012): 517–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2012.05.028.
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  - Crapse, Trinity B., and Marc A. Sommer. “Frontal eye field neurons assess visual stability across saccades.” The Journal of Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience 32, no. 8 (February 2012): 2835–45. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.1320-11.2012.
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  - Basso, M. A., and M. A. Sommer. “Exploring the role of the substantia nigra pars reticulata in eye movements.” Neuroscience 198 (December 2011): 205–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroscience.2011.08.026.
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  - Middlebrooks, Paul G., and Marc A. Sommer. “Metacognition in monkeys during an oculomotor task.” Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition 37, no. 2 (March 2011): 325–37. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021611.
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  - Mayo, J Patrick, and Marc A. Sommer. “Shifting attention to neurons.” Trends Cogn Sci 14, no. 9 (September 2010): 389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2010.06.003.
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  - Crapse, T., and M. Sommer. “Translation of a visual stimulus during a saccade is more detectable if it moves perpendicular, rather than parallel, to the saccade.” Journal of Vision 10, no. 7 (August 6, 2010): 521–521. https://doi.org/10.1167/10.7.521.
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  - Shin, SooYoon, and Marc A. Sommer. “Activity of neurons in monkey globus pallidus during oculomotor behavior compared with that in substantia nigra pars reticulata.” Journal of Neurophysiology 103, no. 4 (April 2010): 1874–87. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00101.2009.
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  - Sommer, M. A. “How the visual system monitors where the eyes will move.” Journal of Vision 9, no. 14 (December 1, 2009): 13–13. https://doi.org/10.1167/9.14.13.
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  - Sommer, M. A. “Corollary discharge circuits for stabilizing visual perception.” Psychophysiology 46 (September 2009): S9–S9.
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  - Mayo, J. P., and M. A. Sommer. “Monkey and human performance in a chronostasis task suitable for neurophysiology.” Journal of Vision 9, no. 8 (August 2009): 406–406. https://doi.org/10.1167/9.8.406.
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  - Crapse, Trinity B., and Marc A. Sommer. “Frontal eye field neurons with spatial representations predicted by their subcortical input.” The Journal of Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience 29, no. 16 (April 2009): 5308–18. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.4906-08.2009.
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  - Crapse, Trinity B., and Marc A. Sommer. “Corollary discharge circuits in the primate brain.” Current Opinion in Neurobiology 18, no. 6 (December 2008): 552–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2008.09.017.
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  - Mayo, J Patrick, and Marc A. Sommer. “Neuronal adaptation caused by sequential visual stimulation in the frontal eye field.” J Neurophysiol 100, no. 4 (October 2008): 1923–35. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.90549.2008.
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  - Crapse, Trinity B., and Marc A. Sommer. “Corollary discharge across the animal kingdom.” Nature Reviews. Neuroscience 9, no. 8 (August 2008): 587–600. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2457.
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  - Mayo, J. P., and M. A. Sommer. “Neuronal adaptation: Delay compensation at the level of single neurons?” Behavioral and Brain Sciences 31, no. 2 (April 1, 2008): 210–12. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X08003944.
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  - Crapse, Trinity B., and Marc A. Sommer. “The frontal eye field as a prediction map.” Progress in Brain Research 171 (January 2008): 383–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0079-6123(08)00656-0.
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  - Sommer, Marc A., and Robert H. Wurtz. “Brain circuits for the internal monitoring of movements.” Annual Review of Neuroscience 31 (January 2008): 317–38. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.neuro.31.060407.125627.
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  - Sommer, Marc A., and Robert H. Wurtz. “Visual perception and corollary discharge.” Perception 37, no. 3 (January 2008): 408–18. https://doi.org/10.1068/p5873.
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  - Sommer, Marc A. “Microcircuits for attention.” Neuron 55, no. 1 (July 2007): 6–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2007.06.022.
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  - Sommer, Marc A. “The feeling of looking.” Nature Neuroscience 10, no. 5 (May 2007): 538–40. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0507-538.
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  - Sommer, Marc A., and Robert H. Wurtz. “Influence of the thalamus on spatial visual processing in frontal cortex.” Nature 444, no. 7117 (November 2006): 374–77. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05279.
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  - Wurtz, R. H., and M. A. Sommer. “A corollary discharge for perceptual stability.” Perception 35 (January 1, 2006): 10–11.
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  - Wurtz, Robert H., Marc A. Sommer, and James Cavanaugh. “Drivers from the deep: the contribution of collicular input to thalamocortical processing.” Progress in Brain Research 149 (January 2005): 207–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0079-6123(05)49015-9.
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  - Sommer, Marc A., and Robert H. Wurtz. “What the brain stem tells the frontal cortex. II. Role of the SC-MD-FEF pathway in corollary discharge.” Journal of Neurophysiology 91, no. 3 (March 2004): 1403–23. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00740.2003.
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  - Sommer, Marc A., and Robert H. Wurtz. “What the brain stem tells the frontal cortex. I. Oculomotor signals sent from superior colliculus to frontal eye field via mediodorsal thalamus.” Journal of Neurophysiology 91, no. 3 (March 2004): 1381–1402. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.00738.2003.
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  - Wurtz, Robert H., and Marc A. Sommer. “Identifying corollary discharges for movement in the primate brain.” Progress in Brain Research 144 (January 2004): 47–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0079-6123(03)14403-2.
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  - Sommer, Marc A. “The role of the thalamus in motor control.” Current Opinion in Neurobiology 13, no. 6 (December 2003): 663–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conb.2003.10.014.
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  - Sommer, M. A., and R. H. Wurtz. “The frontal eye field sends predictively remapped visual signals to the superior colliculus.” Journal of Vision 3, no. 9 (2003): 146–146. https://doi.org/10.1167/3.9.146.
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  - Sommer, Marc A., and Robert H. Wurtz. “A pathway in primate brain for internal monitoring of movements.” Science (New York, N.Y.) 296, no. 5572 (May 2002): 1480–82. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1069590.
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  - Sommer, M. A., and R. H. Wurtz. “Frontal eye field sends delay activity related to movement, memory, and vision to the superior colliculus.” Journal of Neurophysiology 85, no. 4 (April 2001): 1673–85. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.2001.85.4.1673.
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  - Sommer, M., and R. Wurtz. “A subcortical source of visual input to the frontal eye field.” Journal of Vision 1, no. 3 (2001): 259–259. https://doi.org/10.1167/1.3.259.
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  - Wurtz, R. H., M. A. Sommer, M. Paré, and S. Ferraina. “Signal transformations from cerebral cortex to superior colliculus for the generation of saccades.” Vision Research 41, no. 25–26 (January 2001): 3399–3412. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0042-6989(01)00066-9.
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  - Port, N. L., M. A. Sommer, and R. H. Wurtz. “Multielectrode evidence for spreading activity across the superior colliculus movement map.” Journal of Neurophysiology 84, no. 1 (July 2000): 344–57. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.2000.84.1.344.
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  - Sommer, M. A., and R. H. Wurtz. “Composition and topographic organization of signals sent from the frontal eye field to the superior colliculus.” Journal of Neurophysiology 83, no. 4 (April 2000): 1979–2001. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.2000.83.4.1979.
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  - Tehovnik, E. J., M. A. Sommer, I. H. Chou, W. M. Slocum, and P. H. Schiller. “Eye fields in the frontal lobes of primates.” Brain Research. Brain Research Reviews 32, no. 2–3 (April 2000): 413–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0165-0173(99)00092-2.
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  - Sommer, M. A., and E. J. Tehovnik. “Reversible inactivation of macaque dorsomedial frontal cortex: effects on saccades and fixations.” Experimental Brain Research 124, no. 4 (February 1999): 429–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002210050639.
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  - Chou, I. H., M. A. Sommer, and P. H. Schiller. “Express averaging saccades in monkeys.” Vision Research 39, no. 25 (January 1999): 4200–4216. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0042-6989(99)00133-9.
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  - Sommer, M. A., and R. H. Wurtz. “Frontal eye field neurons orthodromically activated from the superior colliculus.” Journal of Neurophysiology 80, no. 6 (December 1998): 3331–35. https://doi.org/10.1152/jn.1998.80.6.3331.
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  - Nichols, A. M., T. W. Ruffner, M. A. Sommer, and R. H. Wurtz. “A screw microdrive for adjustable chronic unit recording in monkeys.” Journal of Neuroscience Methods 81, no. 1–2 (June 1998): 185–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0165-0270(98)00036-3.
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  - Tehovnik, E. J., and M. A. Sommer. “Electrically evoked saccades from the dorsomedial frontal cortex and frontal eye fields: a parametric evaluation reveals differences between areas.” Experimental Brain Research 117, no. 3 (December 1997): 369–78. https://doi.org/10.1007/s002210050231.
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  - Sommer, M. A. “The spatial relationship between scanning saccades and express saccades.” Vision Research 37, no. 19 (October 1997): 2745–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0042-6989(97)00078-3.
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  - Sommer, M. A., and E. J. Tehovnik. “Reversible inactivation of macaque frontal eye field.” Experimental Brain Research 116, no. 2 (September 1997): 229–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/pl00005752.
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  - Tehovnik, E. J., and M. A. Sommer. “Effective spread and timecourse of neural inactivation caused by lidocaine injection in monkey cerebral cortex.” Journal of Neuroscience Methods 74, no. 1 (June 1997): 17–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0165-0270(97)02229-2.
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  - Tehovnik, E. J., and M. A. Sommer. “Compensatory saccades made to remembered targets following orbital displacement by electrically stimulating the dorsomedial frontal cortex or frontal eye fields of primates.” Brain Research 727, no. 1–2 (July 1996): 221–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-8993(96)00475-1.
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  - Sommer, M. A. “Express saccades elicited during visual scan in the monkey.” Vision Research 34, no. 15 (August 1994): 2023–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6989(94)90030-2.
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  - Richards, W., H. R. Wilson, and M. A. Sommer. “Chaos in percepts?” Biological Cybernetics 70, no. 4 (January 1994): 345–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00200331.
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  - Sommer, M. A., P. H. Schiller, and R. M. McPeek. “What neural pathways mediate express saccades?” Behavioral and Brain Sciences 16, no. 3 (September 1993): 589–90. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X00031824.
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  - Sommer, M. A., L. S. Forno, and M. E. Smith. “EAE cerebrospinal fluid augments in vitro phagocytosis and metabolism of CNS myelin by macrophages.” Journal of Neuroscience Research 32, no. 3 (July 1992): 384–94. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.490320310.
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  - Smith, M. E., and M. A. Sommer. “Association between cell-mediated demyelination and astrocyte stimulation.” Progress in Brain Research 94 (January 1992): 411–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0079-6123(08)61768-9.
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  - Sadler, R. H., M. A. Sommer, L. S. Forno, and M. E. Smith. “Induction of anti-myelin antibodies in EAE and their possible role in demyelination.” Journal of Neuroscience Research 30, no. 4 (December 1991): 616–24. https://doi.org/10.1002/jnr.490300404.
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  - Hrushesky, W. J., D. J. Fader, J. S. Berestka, M. Sommer, J. Hayes, and F. O. Cope. “Diminishment of respiratory sinus arrhythmia foreshadows doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy.” Circulation 84, no. 2 (August 1991): 697–707. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.cir.84.2.697.
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  - Sommer Marc, A., and B. Berestka John. “RSA -- Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia: A new measure of cardiac health.” Medical Electronics, April 1987, 112–14.
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  - Bohlen, Martin, Hala El-Nahal, and Marc Sommer. “Transduction of Craniofacial Motoneurons Following Intramuscular Injections of Canine Adenovirus Type-2 (CAV-2) in Rhesus Macaques (Accepted).” Frontiers in Neuroanatomy In Press (n.d.). https://doi.org/10.3389/fnana.2019.00084.
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- Book Sections
  - Abzug, Z. M., and M. A. Sommer. “Supplementary Eye Fields.” In Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology. Elevier, 2017.
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  - Middlebrooks, P. G., Z. Abzug, and M. A. Sommer. “Studying metacognitive processes at the single-neuron level.” In The Cognitive Neuroscience of Metacognition, edited by S. M. Fleming and C. D. Frith, 225–44. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45190-4_10.
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  - Sommer, Marc A., and R. H. Wurtz. “The Dialogue between Cerebral Cortex and Superior Colliculus: Multiple Ascending Pathways for Corollary Discharge.” MIT Press, 2014.
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  - Crapse, T. B., and M. A. Sommer. “Corollary Discharge.” In Encyclopedia of Perception, edited by R. B. Goldstein, 325–27. London, UK: SAGE Publications, 2009.
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  - Shin, S. Y., T. B. Crapse, J. P. Mayo, and M. A. Sommer. “Visuomotor Integration.” In Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, edited by M. D. Binder, N. Hirokawa, and U. Windhorst, 4354–59. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer, 2009.
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  - Sommer, M. A. “Supplementary eye fields.” In Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, edited by L. R. Squire, 635–43. Oxford: Academic Press, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-008045046-9.01122-0.
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  - Sommer, M. A., and R. H. Wurtz. “Single Neurons and Primate Behavior.” In Methods in Mind, edited by C. Senior, T. Russell, and M. Gazzaniga, 123–39. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2009.
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  - Wurtz, Robert H., and Marc A. Sommer. “Identifying corollary discharges for movement in the primate brain.” In Progress in Brain Research, 47–60. Elsevier, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0079-6123(03)14403-2.
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  - Wurtz, R. H., M. A. Basso, M. Paré, and M. A. Sommer. “The Superior Colliculus and the Cognitive Control of Movement.” In The New Cognitive Neurosciences, edited by M. S. Gazzaniga, 573–87. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2000.
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  - Smith, M. A., R. H. Sadler, and M. A. Sommer. “The Macrophage as the Demyelinative Agent: A Role for Antimyelin Antibodies.” In Multiple Sclerosis: Current Status of Research and Treatment, edited by R. M. Herndon and F. J. Seil, 51–66. New York: Demos Publications, 1994.
- Conference Papers
  - Akbar, Navid, Mathew Yarossi, Marc Martinez-Gost, Marc A. Sommer, Moritz Dannhauer, Sumientra Rampersad, Dana Brooks, Eugene Tunik, and Deniz Erdoğmuş. “Mapping Motor Cortex Stimulation to Muscle Responses: A Deep Neural Network Modeling Approach.” In The ... International Conference on Pervasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments : Petra ... International Conference on Pervasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments, 2020:15, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1145/3389189.3389203.
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  - Yeung, Andrew Ho-Fai, Divya Subramanian, Arjun Divyang Desai, Somayyeh Soltanian-Zadeh, Arup Roy, Lejla Vajzovic, Marc Sommer, and Sina Farsiu. “Spatio-temporal image modulation for enhancing the quality of vision with potential application in patients with retinal prostheses.” In Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Vol. 60. ASSOC RESEARCH VISION OPHTHALMOLOGY INC, 2019.
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  - Yarossi, M., F. Quivira, M. Dannhauer, M. A. Sommer, D. H. Brooks, D. Erdoǧmuş, and E. Tunik. “An experimental and computational framework for modeling multi-muscle responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation of the human motor cortex.” In International Ieee/Embs Conference on Neural Engineering, Ner, 2019-March:1122–25, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1109/NER.2019.8717159.
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  - Clements, J. M., R. Kopper, D. J. Zielinski, H. Rao, M. A. Sommer, E. Kirsch, B. O. Mainsah, L. M. Collins, and L. G. Appelbaum. “Neurophysiology of Visual-Motor Learning during a Simulated Marksmanship Task in Immersive Virtual Reality.” In 25th Ieee Conference on Virtual Reality and 3d User Interfaces, Vr 2018 Proceedings, 451–58, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1109/VR.2018.8446068.
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- Preprints
  - Daw, Tierney B., Hala G. El-Nahal, Michele A. Basso, Elizabeth J. Jun, Alex R. Bautista, R Jude Samulski, Marc A. Sommer, and Martin O. Bohlen. “Direct comparison of epifluorescence and immunostaining for assessing viral mediated gene expression in the primate brain.” Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, October 7, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.10.04.510807.
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  - Subramanian, Divya, John Pearson, and Marc Sommer. “Contributions of Bayesian and Discriminative Models to Active Visual Perception across Saccades.” BioRxiv, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.22.497244.
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Teaching & Mentoring
Recent Courses
Scholarly, Clinical, & Service Activities
Outreach & Engaged Scholarship
- Bass Connections Faculty Team Member . Beauty in Balance and Balance in Beauty: An Exploration of the Laws of Physics in Abstract Modern Art. August 2016 - May 2017 2016 - 2017
Service to the Profession
- Co-Chair. Gordon Research Conference on Eye Movements. 2015 - 2017 2015 - 2017
Service to Duke
- Director of Undergraduate Studies. Department of Biomedical Engineering. 2014 - 2017 2014 - 2017

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