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SUMMARY:Insights and strategies during sensorimotor learning - Kishore Kuc
 hibhotla - Johns Hopkins University
DTSTART:20231201T140000Z
DTEND:20231201T150000Z
UID:TALK208975@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Elisa Galliano
DESCRIPTION:If you have a question about this talk\, please contact Elisa 
 Galliano.\n\nMy lab studies the distributed mechanisms that support sensor
 imotor learning\, with an emphasis on the role of neuromodulation and sens
 ory systems. In this seminar\, I will propose that re-visiting our underst
 anding of the shape of the learning curve and its underlying cognitive dri
 vers is essential for uncovering its neural basis. Rather than thinking ab
 out learning as either ‘slow’ or ‘sudden’\, I will argue that lear
 ning is better interpreted as a combination of the two. I will provide beh
 avioral evidence that sensorimotor learning can be dissociated into two pa
 rallel processes: rapid\, step-like improvements in the acquisition of tas
 k knowledge\, paired with a slower and more variable process of behavioral
  expression\, which can be attributed to animals’ structured exploration
 . I will then present probabilistic optogenetic and longitudinal two-photo
 n imaging results from mice learning an auditory go/no-go task that demons
 trates a default role for the auditory cortex in task acquisition. We find
  dedicated neural ensembles that quickly form to encode the discriminative
  task contingencies\; these late-in-trial contingency signals are uncouple
 d from the underlying stimulus representation. By employing closed-loop op
 togenetic inactivation\, we observe that disrupting these post-cue conting
 ency signals throughout learning impairs acquisition. Our work reveals tha
 t the sensory cortex does more than enhance the representation of behavior
 ally-relevant stimuli\, it dynamically forms discriminative contingencies 
 within discrete ensembles\, spotlighting a pivotal associative role for th
 e sensory cortex in sensorimotor learning. 
LOCATION:Hodgkin Huxley Seminar Room\, Physiology Building\, Downing Site
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