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SUMMARY:Context\, Computation\, and Continuity: Neural Mechanisms of Memor
 y and Decision-Making - Máté Lengyel\; Guillaume Hennequin
DTSTART:20250610T100000Z
DTEND:20250610T113000Z
UID:TALK233236@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:124819
DESCRIPTION:How does the brain achieve both stability and flexibility in b
 ehavior? In this journal club\, we will explore two recent studies that il
 luminate distinct yet interconnected neural mechanisms underlying long-ter
 m motor memory and flexible decision-making. The first paper ("Kim et al.\
 , Nature\, 2024":https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08193-3) demon
 strates that motor memories are encoded in a combinatorial\, context-speci
 fic manner in the motor cortex of mice. Using long-term two-photon imaging
 \, the authors show that new motor skills are acquired without overwriting
  old ones\, as new preparatory activity patterns emerge in parallel across
  contexts—offering a robust mechanism for continual learning.\n\nThe sec
 ond paper ("Pagan et al.\, Nature\, 2024":https://www.nature.com/articles/
 s41586-024-08433-6) investigates how individual variability shapes context
 -dependent decision-making in rats. The authors develop a behavioral parad
 igm and theoretical framework revealing three distinct dynamical strategie
 s for evidence accumulation\, all capable of supporting flexible behavior.
  Strikingly\, different individuals express different combinations of thes
 e strategies\, despite similar performance\, highlighting substantial neur
 al and computational diversity.\n\nOptionally\, we will also discuss findi
 ngs from a third study ("Mishchanchuk et al.\, Science\, 2024":https://www
 .science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adq5874)\, which reveals how the ventral 
 hippocampus encodes abstract contextual states critical for hidden state i
 nference. This study complements the others by highlighting the importance
  of hippocampal representations in decision-making based on latent context
 s.\nTogether\, these studies provide a compelling picture of how the brain
  balances flexibility and stability through context-specific encoding\, di
 verse computational strategies\, and abstract contextual inference—shedd
 ing light on the neural basis of learning\, memory\, and cognition.
LOCATION:CBL Seminar Room\, Engineering Department\, 4th floor Baker build
 ing
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