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SUMMARY:Nervous system variability and robustness from cellular feedback c
 ontrol - Tim O'Leary\, Brandeis University
DTSTART:20140701T150000Z
DTEND:20140701T160000Z
UID:TALK53309@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Guillaume Hennequin
DESCRIPTION:A fundamental question in neuroscience is how neurons develop\
 , control\, and maintain their electrical signaling properties. The signal
 ing components in individual neurons (ion channels and receptors) are cont
 inually assembled and degraded\, yet an appropriate balance of these compo
 nents is critical to nervous system function. From experiments we know tha
 t neurons employ feedback control to regulate ion channel and receptor tur
 nover but the details and constraints of this process are poorly understoo
 d. In this talk I will introduce some recent modelling work that has tied 
 together experimental data with long-standing questions about the inherent
  variability of ion channel expression in neurons that have well-defined e
 lectrical properties. I will show how a simple yet robust and flexible mod
 el of homeostatic regulation can be derived from generic assumptions about
  the molecular biology underlying channel expression. The model can genera
 te diverse self-regulating cell types and both synaptic as well as intrins
 ic conductances can be regulated to make a self-assembling central pattern
  generator network\; thus network-level homeostasis can emerge from cell-a
 utonomous regulation rules. Additionally\, I will demonstrate that homeost
 atic regulation critically depends on the complement of ion channels expre
 ssed in cells: in some cases loss of specific ion channels can be complete
 ly compensated\, in others the homeostatic mechanisms itself can cause pat
 hological loss of function. Finally\, time permitting\, I will show how re
 gulation mechanisms can be tuned to make neurons robust to global perturba
 tions to the biophysical properties of ion channels caused by temperature 
 fluctuations.
LOCATION:Cambridge University Engineering Department\, CBL Rm #438 (http:/
 /learning.eng.cam.ac.uk/Public/Directions)
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