SCGB Global Postdoc/Student Meeting

Interactive trainee meeting on neural coding and dynamics

THIS EVENT WILL BE VIRTUAL.

The Zoom link will be provided after registration.SCGB Postdoc/Student Meetings

The Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain hosts a virtual postdoc/student group meeting to bring together trainees interested in neural coding and dynamics.

This event is open to all neuroscience postdocs and graduate students (sorry, no PIs). After Q&A with the speaker, we will open breakout rooms for anyone interested in staying to chat, network, or further discuss the talk. In addition to these breakouts, SCGB Scientific Staff will be available for "office hours" to chat and answer questions about SCGB programs and support.

Dissection of the neural circuitry underlying short-term memory

Short-term memory is associated with persistent neural activity without sustained input, arising from the interactions between neurons with brief time constants. A variety of neural circuit models could account for existing measurements of neural activity. To explore which, if any, of these models are most consistent with neural circuitry, we measured coupling between functionally characterized motor cortex neurons in mice performing a memory-guided response task. Targeted two-photon photostimulation of small (<10) groups of neurons produced sparse calcium responses in coupled neurons over approximately 100 μm. Neurons with similar task-related selectivity were preferentially coupled. Photostimulation of different groups of neurons modulated activity in different subpopulations of coupled neurons. Responses of stimulated and coupled neurons persisted for seconds, far outlasting the duration of the photostimuli. Photostimuli produced behavioral biases that were predictable based on the tuning of the photostimulated population, even though photostimulation preceded the behavioral response by seconds. Our results suggest that memory-related neural circuits contain intercalated, recurrently connected modules and that these modules are coupled via long-range “hidden feedforward” connections.

Note: times below are Eastern Daylight Time

1:00-1:05 PM Introductions

1:05-1:35 PM Talk

1:35-1:50 PM Q&A

1:50-2:15 PM Breakout Rooms & SCGB Office Hours

Please forward this to postdoc and graduate student colleagues that you think will be interested. Contact Laura Long at [email protected] with any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!

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