All years
All events, All years
Deciphering the role of the DCC/UNC-40 receptor in dopaminergic neurons during health and disease
Lecture
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Hour: 11:00 - 13:00
Location:
Deciphering the role of the DCC/UNC-40 receptor in dopaminergic neurons during health and disease
Sapir Sela
<p>student PhD defense seminar </p>
<p>TheUNC-40 receptor, a homolog of the human DCC receptor, is critical for neuronal development and maintenance, with its dysregulation implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. This study investigates the role of UNC-40 in dopaminergic neuron health and degeneration using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system. Loss-of-function mutations in UNC-40 conferred resistance to 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced DA neuron degeneration, while stabilization of UNC-40 via mutation in the CPD regulatory site led to spontaneous, selective DA neurodegeneration independent of toxins. Mechanistic analyses revealed that UNC-40 stabilization triggers parthanatos, a caspase-independent cell death pathway driven by mitochondrial oxidative stress. Pharmacological inhibition of PARP-1 and treatment with mitochondrial antioxidants significantly rescued DA neurons from degeneration.suggesting UNC-40 stabilization causes mitochondrial oxidative stress. Remarkably, UNC-40-induced degeneration was sexually dimorphic, affecting hermaphrodites but not males. Transcriptomic analyses revealed significant gene expression changes in hermaphrodites carrying stabilized UNC40, while males exhibited minimal changes, suggesting intrinsic protective mechanisms. UNC-6, a ligand for UNC-40, was identified as a critical external factor modulating this dimorphism; its absence in hermaphrodites rendered them vulnerable, while its presence in males made them unaffected by the stabilization of the receptor. Behavioral assays revealed functional impairments in hermaphrodites with stabilized UNC-40, linked to altered synaptic activity and excitotoxicity. These findings establish UNC-40 as a key regulator of DA neuron health, highlight its role in oxidative stress and synaptic maintenance, and underscore sexually dimorphic vulnerability to neurodegeneration. The parallels between UNC-40 in C. elegans and DCC in humans suggest conserved mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and point to potential therapeutic targets for diseases like PD.</p>
The Evolution and Plasticity of the CONNECTOME
Lecture
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Hour: 12:30 - 13:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
The Evolution and Plasticity of the CONNECTOME
Prof. Yaniv Assaf
<p>At every aspect of our lives, function determines structure. Just as new roads are built between developing cities, network wires are laid to accommodate faster communication demands, and social networks form around shared goals, the brain also remodels its connectome to adapt to the continuous and dynamic changes in functional demands.</p><p>The <em>connectome</em> refers to the functional and structural characteristics of brain connectivity, spanning from the micron level (neural circuits) to the macroscopic level (long-scale pathways). This intricate network, encompassing the white matter and beyond, facilitates the transmission of information across different brain regions. When the integrity of the <em>connectome</em> is compromised, brain function deteriorates. Thus, the <em>connectome</em> is fundamental to everything the brain does.</p><p>Traditionally, without the tools to explore the <em>connectome</em> in vivo, it was assumed to be stable and fixed. Much of white matter research focused on mapping the geographical structure of the network and its connected areas. However, advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particularly diffusion MRI, have opened a new window into the in vivo physiology of the white matter and the <em>connectome</em>.</p><p>By measuring the microstructural properties of white matter, researchers now have the opportunity to investigate its physiology and dynamics. This presentation will demonstrate how the <em>connectome</em> can be measured, outline its macro- and microstructural features, and describe its evolutionary characteristics by comparing the <em>connectomes</em> of 100 different mammalian species. Additionally, we will explore the role of the <em>connectome</em> in brain plasticity and its remarkable dynamics.</p><p></p><p><em>Light refreshments before the seminar</em></p>
Neuromodulation of experience-dependent sexually dimorphic learning
Lecture
Monday, January 20, 2025
Hour: 11:00 - 12:15
Location:
Neuromodulation of experience-dependent sexually dimorphic learning
Sonu Kurien Dr. Meital Oren Lab
<p><strong>Student Seminar-PhD Thesis Defense-Hybrid</strong></p><p><strong>Zoom:</strong> <u>https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/7576151783?pwd=V2hoQUxvN1IzVlRCU3ZESmcwMHA2Zz09</u></p><p><strong>Meeting ID: 757 615 1783</strong></p><p><strong>Password: 050925</strong></p>
<p>How do sex-specific evolutionary drives influence decision-making processes when facing a shared environmental cue? Given the sex biases in disease states, some of which include a significant cognitive component, it is crucial to evaluate the influence of genetic sex on brain mechanisms from the ground up. In my thesis, I investigate if and how the genetic sex affects context and experience-dependent behavioral plasticity when learning an environmental cue. By utilizing a genes-to-behavior approach, I unravel sexual dimorphism in an ethologically relevant behavioral paradigm. C. elegans males do not learn to avoid the pathogenic bacteria PA14 as efficiently and rapidly as hermaphrodites, even though the pathogenicity is perceived. I explore the neuronal representations following training that encode this dimorphism and observe a possible sensory gating mechanism. The transcriptomic and subsequent behavioral analysis revealed the influence of the neuromodulatory network on male behavior. In particular, <em>npr-5</em>, an ortholog of the mammalian NPY receptor, regulates male learning by modulating typical neuronal activity. Finally, we uncover that male decision-making behavior is shaped by sexual status and is regulated by <em>npr-5</em>. Taken together, the work portrays how shared experiences drive sex-specific plasticity in hermaphrodites and males by modulating learning to fulfill perceived evolutionary needs. </p>
The Computational and Neural Basis of Cognitive Dynamics and Diversity
Lecture
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Hour: 11:15 - 12:45
Location:
The Computational and Neural Basis of Cognitive Dynamics and Diversity
Dr. Roey Schurr
<p>Humans adapt their behavior across multiple timescales: from rapid adjustments to changing contexts to lifelong tendencies in how they approach tasks. This variation across time and individuals poses a challenge for identifying the cognitive strategies people use and the neural processes that support them. My research combines computational modeling and neuroimaging to uncover the strategies individuals use and reveal how their dynamics are reflected in neural activity and constrained by brain structure. <br>In this talk I will present my work on computational modeling of cognitive dynamics over weeks. I will briefly describe my work on mapping of human white matter, and my current work on the computational and neural bases of creative search. I will conclude by outlining my future research aimed at uncovering the core principles that drive both the dynamics and diversity of human cognition.</p>
Anatomical organization of the human hippocampal system
Lecture
Sunday, January 5, 2025
Hour: 11:00 - 12:30
Location:
Anatomical organization of the human hippocampal system
Dr. Daniel Reznik
<p>Animal tract-tracing studies provided critical insights into the organizational principles of the hippocampal system, thus defining the anatomical constraints within which animal mnemonic functions operate. However, no clear framework defining the anatomical organization of the human hippocampal system exists. This gap in knowledge originates in notoriously low MRI data quality in the human medial temporal lobe (MTL) and in group-level blurring of idiosyncratic anatomy between adjacent brain regions comprising the MTL. In this talk, I will present our recent data, which overcame these longstanding challenges and allowed us to explore in detail the cortical networks associated with the human MTL, and to examine the intrinsic organization of the hippocampal-entorhinal system with unprecedented anatomical precision. Our results point to biologically meaningful and previously unknown organizational principles of the human hippocampal system. These findings facilitate the study of the evolutionary trajectory of the hippocampal connectivity and function across species, and prompt a reformulation of the neuroanatomical basis of episodic memory.</p>
The Neural Basis of Affective States
Lecture
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Hour: 12:30 - 14:00
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
The Neural Basis of Affective States
Dr. Amit Vinograd
<p>How does the brain regulate innate behaviors and emotional states? My research</p><p>is driven by a vision to decode evolutionarily conserved neural circuits that regulate</p><p>affective states like aggression and anxiety. In my work, I combine deep-brain 2-photon</p><p>calcium imaging and holographic optogenetics with theoretical neuroscience approaches</p><p>to unravel latent manifolds of neural activity and their dynamics. One such dynamic, line</p><p>attractors, is hypothesized to encode continuous variables such as eye position, working</p><p>memory, and internal states. However, direct evidence of neural implementation of a line</p><p>attractor in mammals has been hindered by the challenge of targeting perturbations to</p><p>specific neurons within ensembles. In this talk, I will present our recent breakthroughs</p><p>demonstrating causal evidence for line attractor dynamics in neurons encoding an</p><p>aggressive state and highlight functional connectivity within specific neuronal</p><p>ensembles. This work effectively bridges circuit and manifold levels, providing strong</p><p>evidence of intrinsic continuous attractor dynamics in a behaviorally relevant mammalian</p><p>system.</p>
Perceptual decision coding is inherently coupled to action in the mouse cortex
Lecture
Sunday, December 29, 2024
Hour: 12:00 - 13:15
Location:
Max and Lillian Candiotty Building
Perceptual decision coding is inherently coupled to action in the mouse cortex
Michael Sokoletsky PhD Defense
<p>Student Seminar-PhD Thesis Defense</p>
<p>How do animals make perceptual decisions about sensory stimuli to guide motor actions? One hypothesis is that dedicated "perceptual decision" cells process sensory information and drive the appropriate action. Alternatively, perceptual decisions result from competition among cells driving different actions, making decisions inherently coupled to actions. To distinguish between these hypotheses, we designed a vibrotactile detection task in which mice flexibly switched between standard and reversed contingency blocks, respectively requiring them to lick after stimulus presence or absence. Optogenetic inactivation of somatosensory and secondary motor cortices reduced stimulus sensitivity without impairing the ability to lick. However, widefield and two-photon imaging found that differences in cortical activity across perceptual decisions were almost exclusively action-coupled. In addition, we identified a subset of cells that encoded the current contingency block in a gated manner, enabling mice to flexibly make decisions without relying on action-independent decision coding.</p>
Deep language models as a cognitive model for natural language processing in the human brain
Lecture
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Hour: 12:30 - 13:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
Deep language models as a cognitive model for natural language processing in the human brain
Prof. Uri Hasson
<p>Special Seminar</p>
<p>Naturalistic experimental paradigms in cognitive neuroscience arose from a pressure to test, in real-world contexts, the validity of models we derive from highly controlled laboratory experiments. In many cases, however, such efforts led to the realization that models (i.e., explanatory principles) developed under particular experimental manipulations fail to capture many aspects of reality (variance) in the real world. Recent advances in artificial neural networks provide an alternative computational framework for modeling cognition in natural contexts. In this talk, I will ask whether the human brain's underlying computations are similar or different from the underlying computations in deep neural networks, focusing on the underlying neural process that supports natural language processing in adults and language development in children. I will provide evidence for some shared computational principles between deep language models and the neural code for natural language processing in the human brain. This indicates that, to some extent, the brain relies on overparameterized optimization methods to comprehend and produce language. At the same time, I will present evidence that the brain differs from deep language models as speakers try to convey new ideas and thoughts. Finally, I will discuss our ongoing attempt to use deep acoustic-to-speech-to-language models to model language acquisition in children. </p>
Anterior-Posterior Insula Circuit Mediates Retrieval of a Conditioned Immune Response in Mice
Lecture
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Hour: 12:30 - 13:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
Anterior-Posterior Insula Circuit Mediates Retrieval of a Conditioned Immune Response in Mice
Prof. Kobi Rosenblum
<p>The brain can form associations between sensory information of inner and/or outer world (e.g. Pavlovian conditioning) but also between sensory information and the immune system. The phenomenon which was described in the last century is termed conditioned immune response (CIR) but very little is known about neuronal mechanisms subserving it. The conditioned stimulus can be a given taste and the unconditioned stimulus is an agent that induces or reduces a specific immune response. Over the last years, we and others revealed molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying taste valance representation in the anterior insular cortex (aIC). Recently, a circuit in the posterior insular cortex (pIC) encoding the internal representation of a given immune response was identified. Together, it allowed us to hypothesize and prove that the internal reciprocal connections between the anterior and posterior insula encode CIR. One can look at CIR as a noon declarative form of Nocebo effect and thus we demonstrate for the first time a detailed circuit mechanism for Placebo/Nocebo effect in the cortex.</p>
"Hot and Cold Thoughts"
Lecture
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Hour: 12:30 - 13:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
"Hot and Cold Thoughts"
Prof. Oded Rechavi
<p>I will present two new and unpublished stories about what happens when the nervous system perceives temperature shifts</p><p></p>
Pages
All years
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Deciphering the role of the DCC/UNC-40 receptor in dopaminergic neurons during health and disease
Lecture
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Hour: 11:00 - 13:00
Location:
Deciphering the role of the DCC/UNC-40 receptor in dopaminergic neurons during health and disease
Sapir Sela
<p>student PhD defense seminar </p>
<p>TheUNC-40 receptor, a homolog of the human DCC receptor, is critical for neuronal development and maintenance, with its dysregulation implicated in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease. This study investigates the role of UNC-40 in dopaminergic neuron health and degeneration using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system. Loss-of-function mutations in UNC-40 conferred resistance to 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-induced DA neuron degeneration, while stabilization of UNC-40 via mutation in the CPD regulatory site led to spontaneous, selective DA neurodegeneration independent of toxins. Mechanistic analyses revealed that UNC-40 stabilization triggers parthanatos, a caspase-independent cell death pathway driven by mitochondrial oxidative stress. Pharmacological inhibition of PARP-1 and treatment with mitochondrial antioxidants significantly rescued DA neurons from degeneration.suggesting UNC-40 stabilization causes mitochondrial oxidative stress. Remarkably, UNC-40-induced degeneration was sexually dimorphic, affecting hermaphrodites but not males. Transcriptomic analyses revealed significant gene expression changes in hermaphrodites carrying stabilized UNC40, while males exhibited minimal changes, suggesting intrinsic protective mechanisms. UNC-6, a ligand for UNC-40, was identified as a critical external factor modulating this dimorphism; its absence in hermaphrodites rendered them vulnerable, while its presence in males made them unaffected by the stabilization of the receptor. Behavioral assays revealed functional impairments in hermaphrodites with stabilized UNC-40, linked to altered synaptic activity and excitotoxicity. These findings establish UNC-40 as a key regulator of DA neuron health, highlight its role in oxidative stress and synaptic maintenance, and underscore sexually dimorphic vulnerability to neurodegeneration. The parallels between UNC-40 in C. elegans and DCC in humans suggest conserved mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and point to potential therapeutic targets for diseases like PD.</p>
The Evolution and Plasticity of the CONNECTOME
Lecture
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Hour: 12:30 - 13:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
The Evolution and Plasticity of the CONNECTOME
Prof. Yaniv Assaf
<p>At every aspect of our lives, function determines structure. Just as new roads are built between developing cities, network wires are laid to accommodate faster communication demands, and social networks form around shared goals, the brain also remodels its connectome to adapt to the continuous and dynamic changes in functional demands.</p><p>The <em>connectome</em> refers to the functional and structural characteristics of brain connectivity, spanning from the micron level (neural circuits) to the macroscopic level (long-scale pathways). This intricate network, encompassing the white matter and beyond, facilitates the transmission of information across different brain regions. When the integrity of the <em>connectome</em> is compromised, brain function deteriorates. Thus, the <em>connectome</em> is fundamental to everything the brain does.</p><p>Traditionally, without the tools to explore the <em>connectome</em> in vivo, it was assumed to be stable and fixed. Much of white matter research focused on mapping the geographical structure of the network and its connected areas. However, advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particularly diffusion MRI, have opened a new window into the in vivo physiology of the white matter and the <em>connectome</em>.</p><p>By measuring the microstructural properties of white matter, researchers now have the opportunity to investigate its physiology and dynamics. This presentation will demonstrate how the <em>connectome</em> can be measured, outline its macro- and microstructural features, and describe its evolutionary characteristics by comparing the <em>connectomes</em> of 100 different mammalian species. Additionally, we will explore the role of the <em>connectome</em> in brain plasticity and its remarkable dynamics.</p><p></p><p><em>Light refreshments before the seminar</em></p>
Neuromodulation of experience-dependent sexually dimorphic learning
Lecture
Monday, January 20, 2025
Hour: 11:00 - 12:15
Location:
Neuromodulation of experience-dependent sexually dimorphic learning
Sonu Kurien Dr. Meital Oren Lab
<p><strong>Student Seminar-PhD Thesis Defense-Hybrid</strong></p><p><strong>Zoom:</strong> <u>https://weizmann.zoom.us/j/7576151783?pwd=V2hoQUxvN1IzVlRCU3ZESmcwMHA2Zz09</u></p><p><strong>Meeting ID: 757 615 1783</strong></p><p><strong>Password: 050925</strong></p>
<p>How do sex-specific evolutionary drives influence decision-making processes when facing a shared environmental cue? Given the sex biases in disease states, some of which include a significant cognitive component, it is crucial to evaluate the influence of genetic sex on brain mechanisms from the ground up. In my thesis, I investigate if and how the genetic sex affects context and experience-dependent behavioral plasticity when learning an environmental cue. By utilizing a genes-to-behavior approach, I unravel sexual dimorphism in an ethologically relevant behavioral paradigm. C. elegans males do not learn to avoid the pathogenic bacteria PA14 as efficiently and rapidly as hermaphrodites, even though the pathogenicity is perceived. I explore the neuronal representations following training that encode this dimorphism and observe a possible sensory gating mechanism. The transcriptomic and subsequent behavioral analysis revealed the influence of the neuromodulatory network on male behavior. In particular, <em>npr-5</em>, an ortholog of the mammalian NPY receptor, regulates male learning by modulating typical neuronal activity. Finally, we uncover that male decision-making behavior is shaped by sexual status and is regulated by <em>npr-5</em>. Taken together, the work portrays how shared experiences drive sex-specific plasticity in hermaphrodites and males by modulating learning to fulfill perceived evolutionary needs. </p>
The Computational and Neural Basis of Cognitive Dynamics and Diversity
Lecture
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Hour: 11:15 - 12:45
Location:
The Computational and Neural Basis of Cognitive Dynamics and Diversity
Dr. Roey Schurr
<p>Humans adapt their behavior across multiple timescales: from rapid adjustments to changing contexts to lifelong tendencies in how they approach tasks. This variation across time and individuals poses a challenge for identifying the cognitive strategies people use and the neural processes that support them. My research combines computational modeling and neuroimaging to uncover the strategies individuals use and reveal how their dynamics are reflected in neural activity and constrained by brain structure. <br>In this talk I will present my work on computational modeling of cognitive dynamics over weeks. I will briefly describe my work on mapping of human white matter, and my current work on the computational and neural bases of creative search. I will conclude by outlining my future research aimed at uncovering the core principles that drive both the dynamics and diversity of human cognition.</p>
Anatomical organization of the human hippocampal system
Lecture
Sunday, January 5, 2025
Hour: 11:00 - 12:30
Location:
Anatomical organization of the human hippocampal system
Dr. Daniel Reznik
<p>Animal tract-tracing studies provided critical insights into the organizational principles of the hippocampal system, thus defining the anatomical constraints within which animal mnemonic functions operate. However, no clear framework defining the anatomical organization of the human hippocampal system exists. This gap in knowledge originates in notoriously low MRI data quality in the human medial temporal lobe (MTL) and in group-level blurring of idiosyncratic anatomy between adjacent brain regions comprising the MTL. In this talk, I will present our recent data, which overcame these longstanding challenges and allowed us to explore in detail the cortical networks associated with the human MTL, and to examine the intrinsic organization of the hippocampal-entorhinal system with unprecedented anatomical precision. Our results point to biologically meaningful and previously unknown organizational principles of the human hippocampal system. These findings facilitate the study of the evolutionary trajectory of the hippocampal connectivity and function across species, and prompt a reformulation of the neuroanatomical basis of episodic memory.</p>
The Neural Basis of Affective States
Lecture
Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Hour: 12:30 - 14:00
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
The Neural Basis of Affective States
Dr. Amit Vinograd
<p>How does the brain regulate innate behaviors and emotional states? My research</p><p>is driven by a vision to decode evolutionarily conserved neural circuits that regulate</p><p>affective states like aggression and anxiety. In my work, I combine deep-brain 2-photon</p><p>calcium imaging and holographic optogenetics with theoretical neuroscience approaches</p><p>to unravel latent manifolds of neural activity and their dynamics. One such dynamic, line</p><p>attractors, is hypothesized to encode continuous variables such as eye position, working</p><p>memory, and internal states. However, direct evidence of neural implementation of a line</p><p>attractor in mammals has been hindered by the challenge of targeting perturbations to</p><p>specific neurons within ensembles. In this talk, I will present our recent breakthroughs</p><p>demonstrating causal evidence for line attractor dynamics in neurons encoding an</p><p>aggressive state and highlight functional connectivity within specific neuronal</p><p>ensembles. This work effectively bridges circuit and manifold levels, providing strong</p><p>evidence of intrinsic continuous attractor dynamics in a behaviorally relevant mammalian</p><p>system.</p>
Perceptual decision coding is inherently coupled to action in the mouse cortex
Lecture
Sunday, December 29, 2024
Hour: 12:00 - 13:15
Location:
Max and Lillian Candiotty Building
Perceptual decision coding is inherently coupled to action in the mouse cortex
Michael Sokoletsky PhD Defense
<p>Student Seminar-PhD Thesis Defense</p>
<p>How do animals make perceptual decisions about sensory stimuli to guide motor actions? One hypothesis is that dedicated "perceptual decision" cells process sensory information and drive the appropriate action. Alternatively, perceptual decisions result from competition among cells driving different actions, making decisions inherently coupled to actions. To distinguish between these hypotheses, we designed a vibrotactile detection task in which mice flexibly switched between standard and reversed contingency blocks, respectively requiring them to lick after stimulus presence or absence. Optogenetic inactivation of somatosensory and secondary motor cortices reduced stimulus sensitivity without impairing the ability to lick. However, widefield and two-photon imaging found that differences in cortical activity across perceptual decisions were almost exclusively action-coupled. In addition, we identified a subset of cells that encoded the current contingency block in a gated manner, enabling mice to flexibly make decisions without relying on action-independent decision coding.</p>
Deep language models as a cognitive model for natural language processing in the human brain
Lecture
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Hour: 12:30 - 13:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
Deep language models as a cognitive model for natural language processing in the human brain
Prof. Uri Hasson
<p>Special Seminar</p>
<p>Naturalistic experimental paradigms in cognitive neuroscience arose from a pressure to test, in real-world contexts, the validity of models we derive from highly controlled laboratory experiments. In many cases, however, such efforts led to the realization that models (i.e., explanatory principles) developed under particular experimental manipulations fail to capture many aspects of reality (variance) in the real world. Recent advances in artificial neural networks provide an alternative computational framework for modeling cognition in natural contexts. In this talk, I will ask whether the human brain's underlying computations are similar or different from the underlying computations in deep neural networks, focusing on the underlying neural process that supports natural language processing in adults and language development in children. I will provide evidence for some shared computational principles between deep language models and the neural code for natural language processing in the human brain. This indicates that, to some extent, the brain relies on overparameterized optimization methods to comprehend and produce language. At the same time, I will present evidence that the brain differs from deep language models as speakers try to convey new ideas and thoughts. Finally, I will discuss our ongoing attempt to use deep acoustic-to-speech-to-language models to model language acquisition in children. </p>
Anterior-Posterior Insula Circuit Mediates Retrieval of a Conditioned Immune Response in Mice
Lecture
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Hour: 12:30 - 13:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
Anterior-Posterior Insula Circuit Mediates Retrieval of a Conditioned Immune Response in Mice
Prof. Kobi Rosenblum
<p>The brain can form associations between sensory information of inner and/or outer world (e.g. Pavlovian conditioning) but also between sensory information and the immune system. The phenomenon which was described in the last century is termed conditioned immune response (CIR) but very little is known about neuronal mechanisms subserving it. The conditioned stimulus can be a given taste and the unconditioned stimulus is an agent that induces or reduces a specific immune response. Over the last years, we and others revealed molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying taste valance representation in the anterior insular cortex (aIC). Recently, a circuit in the posterior insular cortex (pIC) encoding the internal representation of a given immune response was identified. Together, it allowed us to hypothesize and prove that the internal reciprocal connections between the anterior and posterior insula encode CIR. One can look at CIR as a noon declarative form of Nocebo effect and thus we demonstrate for the first time a detailed circuit mechanism for Placebo/Nocebo effect in the cortex.</p>
"Hot and Cold Thoughts"
Lecture
Tuesday, December 10, 2024
Hour: 12:30 - 13:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
"Hot and Cold Thoughts"
Prof. Oded Rechavi
<p>I will present two new and unpublished stories about what happens when the nervous system perceives temperature shifts</p><p></p>
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Brain plasticity: Regulation and Modulation
Conference
Monday, May 16, 2022
Hour: 08:00 - 18:00
Location:
The David Lopatie Conference Centre
Brain plasticity: Regulation and Modulation
Memory In The Brain: From Learning To Forgetting
Conference
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Hour: 08:30 - 18:00
Location:
The David Lopatie Conference Centre
Prof. Itzchak Steinberg Memorial Symposium
Conference
Monday, March 26, 2018
Hour: 08:00
Location:
Dolfi and Lola Ebner Auditorium
Prof. Itzchak Steinberg Memorial Symposium
Windows to the Brain: Advances in Optical Imaging for Understanding Neural Circuit Function
Conference
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Hour: 08:30 - 17:30
Location:
The David Lopatie Conference Centre
Windows to the Brain: Advances in Optical Imaging for Understanding Neural Circuit Function
From perception to action: imaging human brain function
Conference
Sunday, December 24, 2017
Hour: 08:30 - 13:30
Location:
The David Lopatie Conference Centre
Prefrontal mechanisms of cognitive control
Conference
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Hour:
Location:
Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Building for Biomedical Research
Advances in Brain Sciences: RIKEN BSI and WIS Workshop
Conference
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Hour:
Location:
Dolfi and Lola Ebner Auditorium
Neurodegenerative diseases, stem cells and inflammation-new prospects for therapy
Conference
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Hour:
Location:
Dolfi and Lola Ebner Auditorium
Neurodegenerative diseases, stem cells and inflammation-new prospects for therapy
Metabolism and the Metabolic Disorder
Conference
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Hour:
Location:
Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Building for Biomedical Research
The enigma of inflammation in A.L.S: What can be learned from other
Conference
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Hour:
Location:
Dolfi and Lola Ebner Auditorium