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SUMMARY:Brain dynamics during tactile discrimination behavior -  Fritjof H
 elmchen\,  Brain Research Institute\, University of Zurich
DTSTART:20190128T163000Z
DTEND:20190128T180000Z
UID:TALK118678@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:37815
DESCRIPTION:Through the combination of in vivo optical imaging and chronic
  expression of genetically encoded calcium indicators it is now feasible t
 o directly 'watch' neuronal population dynamics in the neocortex of awake\
 , head-restrained mice during specific behaviors. I will present results f
 rom calcium imaging experiments in mouse neocortex while the animal perfor
 ms a whisker-based texture discrimination task. We used wide-field calcium
  imaging and multi-fiber photometry to resolve activation patterns across 
 large parts of the neocortex and in subsets of subcortical regions\, respe
 ctively. These experiments revealed wide-spread\, coordinated activation o
 f multiple brain regions\, which correlate with various behavioral aspects
  such as whisking\, body movements\, and licking. In particular\, we ident
 ified highly distinct patterns of persistent cortical activity during a sh
 ort-term memory phase (either medio-frontally or in a posterior-lateral ar
 ea)\, which were contingent on the animal’s behavior (active versus pass
 ive).  Using chronic measurements throughout the task training phase we al
 so started to reveal learning-related changes in cortical and subcortical 
 signal flow. Our results indicate that large networks of neurons distribut
 ed across multiple cortical and subcortical regions are engaged in order t
 o solve the task. Our data may help in understanding the principles of the
 se large-scale activation patterns and the specific role of cross-regional
  interactions in sensory discrimination and the generation of the behavior
 al response. 
LOCATION:The Hodgkin Huxley Seminar Room\, Department of Physiology Develo
 pment and Neuroscience
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