Topic: neurotransmitters

The human brain quickly adapts to a rapidly changing environment, often faster than what is thought to be possible by way of synaptic plasticity. Real-time control adaptation can only be achieved through faster processes such as neuromodulation. A number of neuromodulation models based on gain regulation have been proposed recently. But most of them utilize neuron-wide regulation and can not accommodate the simultaneous impact of different types of neurotransmitters on different parts of the dendritic tree. Models of synaptic gating and connectivity-tuning demonstrate that using enough additio

Sleep is crucial for the continuity and development of life. Sleep-related problems can alter brain function, and cause potentially severe psychological and behavioral consequences. However, the role of sleep in our mind and behavior is far from clear. In this talk, I will present our research on how sleep may play a role in visual perceptual learning (VPL) by using simultaneous magnetic resonance spectroscopy and polysomnography in human subjects. We measured the concentrations of neurotransmitters in the early visual areas during sleep and obtained the excitation/inhibition (E/I) ratio which

The gut microbiota is composed of a very large number of bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts that play an important role in the body, through the production of a series of metabolites (including neurotransmitters), and through an essential role in the barrier function of the gut and the regulation of immunity and stress response. In this lecture I will present, based mainly on human studies but also on preclinical studies, the evidence for a role of the gut microbiota in the development of alcohol use disorder. I will show the first results of trials to test the effects of nutritional approach

Microbes have shaped the evolution of eukaryotes and contribute significantly to the physiology and behavior of animals. Some of these traits are inherited by the progenies. Despite the vast importance of microbe-host communication, we still do not know how bacteria change short term traits or long-term decisions in individuals or communities. In this seminar I will present our work on how commensal and pathogenic bacteria impact specific neuronal phenotypes and decision making. The traits we specifically study are the degeneration and regeneration of neurons and survival behaviors in animals.

The human brain quickly adapts to a changing environment, often faster than can be explained by synaptic plasticity. One of the main candidates to account for such rapid changes is neuromodulation. We explore how modulation can assist a recurrent neural network to accommodate a range of variations of the tasks it is initially trained on. There are a number of approaches allowing for rapid acquisition of new tasks, for example, the neuronal gain modulation model [1]. However, we found that by affecting the input-output function of a neuron such an approach can neither address the variation of a