Brain regions

…Theoretical work proposes that the brain represents natural behaviour through nested attractor networks[2]. Experimentally testing this theory requires simultaneous recording of neural activity from multiple brain regions and behaviour as they unfold. This is challenging due to complexities in a) mimicking natural settings-including la

…the coordinated activity of multiple brain regions. Each region contributes unique computations while interacting with others to control the movements. To understand the neural principles underlying this behavior across different brain regions, we recorded spiking activity in 10 brain regions while the mice performed a skilled reach-and-grasp task. We identified distinct behavioral phases, each with unique kinematic features. Single neuron analyses showed similar response percentages, with differing response strengths, across

There is no consensus on if sleep is for the brain, body or both. But the difference in how we feel following disrupted sleep or having a good night of continuous sleep is striking. Understanding how and why we sleep will likely give insights into many aspects of health. In this talk I will outline our recent work on how the prefrontal cortex can signal to the hypothalamus to regulate sleep preparatory behaviours and sleep itself, and how other brain regions, including the ventral tegmental area, respond to psychosocial stress to induce beneficial sleep. I will also outline our work on examin

Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) often display disrupted resting-state brain functional connectivity compared to healthy individuals, as observed in resting-state fMRI studies. Understanding which brain regions contribute to this disruption is vital for understanding disease progression.We propose the Functional Connectivity Curve Detection model (FunCurvDtx) to identify key brain regions for classifying AD versus normal subjects based on functional connectivity. FunCurvDtx combines functional principal component analysis (fPCA) and group penalized logistic regression to analyze function

Brain atlases like the Allen Mouse Brain Common Coordinate Framework (CCFv3) are essential tools to guide the integration of different sources of neuroscience data. In this study, we introduce a novel method for curating brain atlas regions that leverages the strength of Houdini and Python software. This approach combines industry-standard graphic libraries with a dynamic user interface. Anatomists can interactively visualise, slice, annotate and analyse brain regions with high reproducibility. In Houdini, readability and traceability are ensured by simultaneously displaying results as a 3D ob

Quantification of neuron populations, stratified across brain regions, provides a foundation for understanding the function of brain circuits. For this reason, accurate quantification is vital. To achieve this, all tissue slices need to be aligned with a reference atlas, have neurons of interest segmented, and subsequently have per-region aggregates computed. These steps are repetitive, tedious, time-consuming, and require expert domain knowledge to perform manually. Automated solutions are therefore desired. However, fully automatic neuron population quantification remains a challenge, due to

…We found that, although global brain ex

…changes in neural activity across brain regions involved in sensory processing, using fMRI. By measuring changes in brain activity patterns across these regions, our approach accommodates the

…on neurons distributed across diverse brain regions. In this talk I will describe our efforts to create tools that allow us to measure activity from these distributed circuits - Neuropixels probes for large-scale electrophysiology - and our findings from studies deploying these tools to study visual detection and discrimination in mice.

…multivariate pattern analyses of fMRI brain data to demonstrate the successful removal of information from working memory using three different strategies: suppressing a specific thought, replacing a thought with a different one, and clearing the mind of all thought

…a full understanding of why certain brain areas, but not others, can support consciousness. In this talk, I will give an overview of our approach, taking advantage of the theoretical framework provided by Integrated Information Theory (IIT). First, I will introduce results showing that a maximum of integrated information within the human brain matches our best evidence

…mathematics to the study of the brain. The brain—a jumble of all different kinds of neurons interconnected in countless ways that somehow produce consciousness—has been described as “the most complex object in the known universe”. Physicists for centuries have turned to mathematics to properly explain some of the most seemingly simple processes in the universe—how objects fall, how water flows, how the planets move. Equations have proved crucial in these endeavors because they capture relationships and ma

…The lecture will focus on how multiple brain regions interact to support learning, what this means for how memories are built, and the consequences for how decisions are made. Results emerging from this work challenge the traditional view of separate learning systems and advance understanding of how memory biases decisions in both adaptive and mala