BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:Adrian Seminars in Neuroscience - ANNUAL LECTURE Rachel Wilson &qu
 ot\;Neural correlates of orienting behaviors and latent action biases&quot
 \;  - Rachel Wilson\, Harvard Medical School
DTSTART:20171127T163000Z
DTEND:20171127T180000Z
UID:TALK93535@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Lyn Dakin
DESCRIPTION:Cue integration and flexible action selection are essential el
 ements of brain function. A key open question is how these operations are 
 implemented at the level of circuit connectivity and cellular physiology. 
 My laboratory has recently been investigating this question by focusing on
  the upper motor neurons of the Drosophila brain – i.e.\, the neurons th
 at project to the ventral nerve cord (the “spinal cord”). We have been
  recording from these cells in walking flies while also presenting sensory
  guidance cues. We have identified several types of upper motor neurons wh
 ose dendritic arbors reside mainly in the lateral accessory lobe (LAL)\, a
  brain region involved in limb control. We have found that the LAL integra
 tes guidance cues from higher sensory regions\, including visual\, olfacto
 ry\, and mechanosensory regions. It is also bidirectionally connected to t
 he brain region which contains the representation of the organism’s head
 ing direction. We find that LAL upper motor neurons encode both multisenso
 ry variables and motor variables related to orienting (turning) behaviors.
  The LAL is involved in selecting among competing sensory cues\, represent
 ing latent biases in action selection\, and gating turns based on salience
  cues. These findings provide a foundation for a more mechanistic understa
 nding of how spatial guidance cues\, contextual salience cues\, and intern
 al brain states are integrated to produce flexible motor control.
LOCATION:Physiology Lecture Theatre\, Department of Physiology Development
  and Neuroscience
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR