Feedback control in the nervous system: from cells and circuits to behaviour
Schedule
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
13:00 UTC
Timothy O'Leary
Professor
Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge
Host: Cambridge Neuro
Recording
Open recording
Event Information
Recording
Available
Host
Cambridge Neuro
Duration
70 minutes
Abstract
The nervous system is fundamentally a closed loop control device: the output of actions continually influences the internal state and subsequent actions. This is true at the single cell and even the molecular level, where “actions” take the form of signals that are fed back to achieve a variety of functions, including homeostasis, excitability and various kinds of multistability that allow switching and storage of memory. It is also true at the behavioural level, where an animal’s motor actions directly influence sensory input on short timescales, and higher level information about goals and intended actions are continually updated on the basis of current and past actions. Studying the brain in a closed loop setting requires a multidisciplinary approach, leveraging engineering and theory as well as advances in measuring and manipulating the nervous system. I will describe our recent attempts to achieve this fusion of approaches at multiple levels in the nervous system, from synaptic signalling to closed loop brain machine interfaces.
Topics
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