Cortical computation

…algorithms are observed in multiple subcortical regions, it remains unclear whether cortical computation can be guided by similar reinforcement feedbacks. Here, we show that cortical VIP-expressing inhibitory interneurons are recipients of a global and modality-independent reinforcement prediction signal conveyed by cholinergic inputs. This global reinforcement signal is then customized by local activity via a VIP and S

Reservoir computing is a promising framework to study cortical computation, as it is based on continuous, online processing and the requirements and operating principles are compatible with cortical circuit dynamics. However, the framework has issues that limit its scope as a generic model for cortical processing. The most obvious of these is that, in traditional models, learning is restricted to the output projections and takes place in a fully supervised manner. If such an output layer is interpreted at face value as downstream computation, this is biologically questionable. If it is interpr

…theories of sensory processing and cortical computation. It provides a comprehensive explanation of the role of top-down connections in cortex, by proposing how they can guide sensory processing, and has inspired many experimental studies, ranging from electrophysiological studies of individual neurons to high-level studies of cognitive computation. Still, after twenty years of research, important questions remain open: Experimental evidence for error units, which are central to the theory, is inconclusive, and little theoretical work ex

Our group focuses on brain computation, physiology and evolution, with a particular focus on network dynamics, sleep (evolution and mechanistic underpinnings), cortical computation (through the study of ancestral cortices), and sensorimotor processing. This talk will describe our recent results on the remarkable camouflage behavior of cuttlefish (action) and on brain activity in REM and NonREM in lizards (sleep). Both topics will focus on aspects of circuit dynamics.

Our group focuses on brain computation, physiology and evolution, with a particular focus on network dynamics, sleep (evolution and mechanistic underpinnings), cortical computation (through the study of ancestral cortices), and sensorimotor processing. This talk will describe our recent results on the remarkable camouflage behavior of cuttlefish (action) and on brain activity in REM and NonREM in lizards (sleep). Both topics will focus on aspects of circuit dynamics.