2016
All events, 2016
Excitation-inhibition interplay in the thalamocortical pathway controls timing of motor actions
Lecture
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Brain Research
Excitation-inhibition interplay in the thalamocortical pathway controls timing of motor actions
Prof. Yifat Prut
Dept of Medical Neurobiology, IMRIC and ELSC,The Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem
Proper performance of voluntary movements requires the integration of both spatial and temporal information about the ensuing movements. The timing of actions is often considered to be dictated by cerebellar output that is relayed to the motor cortex via the motor thalamus. We investigated the mechanisms by which the cerebellar-thalamo-cortical (CTC) system controls temporal properties of motor cortical activity.
We found that in primates the CTC pathway efficiently recruits motor cortical neurons in primary motor and premotor areas. Cortical responses to CTC activation were dominated by prolonged inhibition mediated by a feedforward mechanism. We further found that cortical cells that integrated CTC input fired transiently and synchronously at movement onset, when the timing of action is dictated. Moreover, when preventing the flow of information in the pathway the phasic firing at movement onset was reduced, but the preferred direction of the cells remained unchanged. These changes in neural firing were correlated with altered motor behavior: the monkeys were able to perform the task but with increased reaction and movement times.
These results suggest that the CTC system affects cortical firing by changing the excitation-inhibition balance at movement onset in an extensive network of TC-activated motor cortical neurons. In this manner, the temporal pattern of neural firing is shaped, and firing across groups of neurons is synchronized to generate transiently enhanced firing.
Colouring Labelled Lines: Multispectral Mapping and Activity-Dependent Silencing of Primary Afferents as Tools to follow up their Reorganization in Chronic Pain
Lecture
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
Colouring Labelled Lines: Multispectral Mapping and Activity-Dependent Silencing of Primary Afferents as Tools to follow up their Reorganization in Chronic Pain
Dr. Alexander Binshtok
Dept of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel Canada Faculty of Medicine, Safra Center for Brain Sciences,
The Hebrew University, Jerusalem
Dissecting the role of horizontal cells for retinal processing
Lecture
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Brain Research
Dissecting the role of horizontal cells for retinal processing
Dr. Karin Dedek
Neurosensorics
University of Oldenburg, Germany
In the mammalian retina, visual information is transduced into electrical signals by photoreceptors. These signals are transmitted from photoreceptors to bipolar cells and on to ganglion cells, which inform the brain about contrast, form, color, object motion and other features of the visual world. On its route through the retina, visual information is modulated by inhibitory networks formed by horizontal and amacrine cells. Here, I focus on horizontal cells. At so-called triad synapses, these interneurons receive glutamatergic input from photoreceptors and provide feedback and feedforward signals to photoreceptors and bipolar cells, respectively. In recent years, we used different techniques to analyze the role of horizontal cells: we 1) deleted electrical synapses between horizontal cells, 2) ablated the entire horizontal cell population, and 3) selectively silenced horizontal cells by input deprivation. From these studies we gathered that horizontal cells are important for the spatial and temporal tuning of ganglion cells and are necessary to maintain the integrity of the first synapse in the visual system.
How Biology Perceives Chemistry: The Mammalian Olfactory System
Lecture
Monday, March 14, 2016
Hour: 12:45
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
How Biology Perceives Chemistry: The Mammalian Olfactory System
Prof. Stuart Firestein
Dept of Biological Sciences
Columbia University
The vertebrate nose is arguably the best chemical detector on the planet. It is estimated to be able to detect between 1 million and 1 trillion small molecules, known as odors. More importantly it can discriminate between hundred of thousands of these molecules, some differing by only a carbon atom. It performs this task using a large family of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the periphery and a surprisingly shallow circuit of only two synapses to olfactory cortex. A considerable challenge, and interesting puzzle, in olfaction is how the brain uses neural space to encode a distinctly non-spatial stimulus. Unlike the other senses olfactory stimuli vary along multiple dimensions and do not lend themselves to a spatial representation. New approaches to odor classification in the periphery, along with recent data on pyriform (olfactory) cortex developed in numerous laboratories regarding suggest novel solutions to this problem. These “olfactory solutions” may be seen operating in other brain systems as well.
From Vision to Decisions and Navigation in Mouse Cortex
Lecture
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
From Vision to Decisions and Navigation in Mouse Cortex
Prof. Matteo Carandini
University College London
As signals progress along the early visual system, they undergo a remarkable transformation. One synapse away from the eye, in Lateral Geniculate Nucleus, responses are still highly repeatable, and they can be predicted fairly well by simple model of image processing. One further synapse away, in Primary Visual Cortex (V1), responses become hugely affected by activity that originates within the brain, which varies from trial to trial, and can be closely related to behavior. For instance, a major factor that controls responses of neurons in the mouse visual cortex is locomotion. In mouse V1, locomotion changes the nature of spatial integration, reducing the strength of lateral interactions. Moreover, locomotion interacts with vision to affect responses during navigation, perhaps to help the animal estimate is own movement. In the parietal visual areas that follow V1 a further factor affecting responses is decision. The activity of neurons in those areas thus reflects the interactions of vision, decision, and navigation. Current efforts in our laboratory are aimed at studying these interactions.
How to scientifically study the functions of consciousness: in search of the right paradigm
Lecture
Monday, March 7, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
How to scientifically study the functions of consciousness: in search of the right paradigm
Dr. Liad Mudrik
School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience
Tel Aviv University
Abstract: Generations of scholars of different disciplines have struggled with the mystery of conscious awareness. How does it come about? And, no less importantly, what does it do? To meet the challenge of scientifically operationalizing this question, different experimental manipulations have been developed. With these methods researchers managed to demonstrate surprisingly high-level forms of unconscious processing, like semantic integration, executive control, emotional judgments, reading and arithmetic operations. Consequently, some have suggested that consciousness may not hold any unique functional role. In this talk, I will present experiments which employ such methods, and point out their implications and limitations. I will then introduce our search for new means to probe unconscious processes and examine consciousness' role in thought and behavior.
Sex differences in neuropsychological disorders: Why should we care?
Lecture
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
Sex differences in neuropsychological disorders: Why should we care?
Prof. Anat Biegon
Director, Center on Gender, Hormones and Health
Stony Brook University School of Medicine, NY
Gender differences affect the prevalence, presentation, treatment response and outcome of many neuropsychiatric disorders; including Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, depression and anxiety. However, despite a female majority among sufferers of these disorders, women were historically excluded from clinical trials; and the overwhelming majority preclinical studies on disease mechanisms and new drug development are conducted exclusively on males. Consequently, women are 50% more likely than men to experience adverse drug reactions, and between 1997 and 2001, 80% of the drugs removed from the market were specifically implicated in adverse side effects or deaths of female patients.
Drawing on examples from diverse neuropathologies, the talk will describe the current status and the future potential of research and education on gender based medicine; aiming to level the field and gain insight into the influence of sex an gonadal hormones on CNS physiology and pathology.
The interplay between social arousal and social memory: lessons from the social brain
Lecture
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
The interplay between social arousal and social memory: lessons from the social brain
Dr. Shlomo Wagner
Sagol Dept of Neurobiology
University of Haifa
The ability to distinguish between individuals of the same species is the basis for all mammalian social relationships. This ability, termed social recognition memory (SRM), is mediated by a specific network of limbic areas in the brain, and is modulated by several neuromodulators, such as oxytocin and the CRH-related peptide urocortin-3. I will discuss behavioral and electrophysiological data suggesting a role for arousal-driven theta rhythmicity in this neural network during acquisition of social memory. I will also discuss the contributions of oxytocin and urocortin-3 to the social memory and the relationship between them. Finally, I will discuss a possible role for emotional states in cognitive processes such as learning and memory.
On the dual role of IGF-1 receptor in information processing at hippocampal synapses
Lecture
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
On the dual role of IGF-1 receptor in information processing at hippocampal synapses
Dr. Inna Slutsky
Dept of Physiology and Pharmacology
Sackler School of Medicine
Tel Aviv University
The insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling is a key regulator of lifespan, growth, and development. While reduced IGF-1R signaling delays aging and Alzheimer’s disease progression, whether and how it regulates information processing at central synapses remains elusive. Here, we show that presynaptic IGF-1Rs are basally active, regulating synaptic vesicle release and short-term plasticity in excitatory hippocampal neurons. Acute IGF-1R blockade or transient knockdown suppresses spike-evoked synaptic transmission and presynaptic cytosolic Ca2+ transients, while promoting spontaneous transmission and resting Ca2+ level. This dual effect on transmitter release is mediated by mitochondria that attenuate Ca2+ buffering in the absence of spikes and decrease ATP production during spiking activity. We conclude that the mitochondria, activated by IGF-1R signaling, constitute a critical regulator of information processing in hippocampal neurons by maintaining evoked-to-spontaneous transmission ratio, while constraining synaptic facilitation at high frequencies. Excessive IGF-1R tone may contribute to hippocampal hyperactivity associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The neurobiology of visual search in barn owls
Lecture
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
The neurobiology of visual search in barn owls
Prof. Yoram Gutfreund
Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa
Nature has created mechanisms to detect salient objects like food, prey or mates. Visual search is the process of shifting gaze from one salient object to another. It has both a stimulus driven bottom-up component as well as a task-driven top-down component. This is well studied in human and primates but not so much in other animals. It is, therefore, a challenge to increase our understanding of visual search in non-primate animals. The barn owl is a predator having frontally oriented eyes, but lacking eye movements. Because of such specializations, this bird offers itself for the study of visual search. We study mechanisms of visual search in this animal on both the behavioural and neurophysiological levels. In this talk I will present our main findings on these matters.
Pages
2016
All events, 2016
Excitation-inhibition interplay in the thalamocortical pathway controls timing of motor actions
Lecture
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Brain Research
Excitation-inhibition interplay in the thalamocortical pathway controls timing of motor actions
Prof. Yifat Prut
Dept of Medical Neurobiology, IMRIC and ELSC,The Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem
Proper performance of voluntary movements requires the integration of both spatial and temporal information about the ensuing movements. The timing of actions is often considered to be dictated by cerebellar output that is relayed to the motor cortex via the motor thalamus. We investigated the mechanisms by which the cerebellar-thalamo-cortical (CTC) system controls temporal properties of motor cortical activity.
We found that in primates the CTC pathway efficiently recruits motor cortical neurons in primary motor and premotor areas. Cortical responses to CTC activation were dominated by prolonged inhibition mediated by a feedforward mechanism. We further found that cortical cells that integrated CTC input fired transiently and synchronously at movement onset, when the timing of action is dictated. Moreover, when preventing the flow of information in the pathway the phasic firing at movement onset was reduced, but the preferred direction of the cells remained unchanged. These changes in neural firing were correlated with altered motor behavior: the monkeys were able to perform the task but with increased reaction and movement times.
These results suggest that the CTC system affects cortical firing by changing the excitation-inhibition balance at movement onset in an extensive network of TC-activated motor cortical neurons. In this manner, the temporal pattern of neural firing is shaped, and firing across groups of neurons is synchronized to generate transiently enhanced firing.
Colouring Labelled Lines: Multispectral Mapping and Activity-Dependent Silencing of Primary Afferents as Tools to follow up their Reorganization in Chronic Pain
Lecture
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
Colouring Labelled Lines: Multispectral Mapping and Activity-Dependent Silencing of Primary Afferents as Tools to follow up their Reorganization in Chronic Pain
Dr. Alexander Binshtok
Dept of Medical Neurobiology, Institute for Medical Research Israel Canada Faculty of Medicine, Safra Center for Brain Sciences,
The Hebrew University, Jerusalem
Dissecting the role of horizontal cells for retinal processing
Lecture
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Brain Research
Dissecting the role of horizontal cells for retinal processing
Dr. Karin Dedek
Neurosensorics
University of Oldenburg, Germany
In the mammalian retina, visual information is transduced into electrical signals by photoreceptors. These signals are transmitted from photoreceptors to bipolar cells and on to ganglion cells, which inform the brain about contrast, form, color, object motion and other features of the visual world. On its route through the retina, visual information is modulated by inhibitory networks formed by horizontal and amacrine cells. Here, I focus on horizontal cells. At so-called triad synapses, these interneurons receive glutamatergic input from photoreceptors and provide feedback and feedforward signals to photoreceptors and bipolar cells, respectively. In recent years, we used different techniques to analyze the role of horizontal cells: we 1) deleted electrical synapses between horizontal cells, 2) ablated the entire horizontal cell population, and 3) selectively silenced horizontal cells by input deprivation. From these studies we gathered that horizontal cells are important for the spatial and temporal tuning of ganglion cells and are necessary to maintain the integrity of the first synapse in the visual system.
How Biology Perceives Chemistry: The Mammalian Olfactory System
Lecture
Monday, March 14, 2016
Hour: 12:45
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
How Biology Perceives Chemistry: The Mammalian Olfactory System
Prof. Stuart Firestein
Dept of Biological Sciences
Columbia University
The vertebrate nose is arguably the best chemical detector on the planet. It is estimated to be able to detect between 1 million and 1 trillion small molecules, known as odors. More importantly it can discriminate between hundred of thousands of these molecules, some differing by only a carbon atom. It performs this task using a large family of G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in the periphery and a surprisingly shallow circuit of only two synapses to olfactory cortex. A considerable challenge, and interesting puzzle, in olfaction is how the brain uses neural space to encode a distinctly non-spatial stimulus. Unlike the other senses olfactory stimuli vary along multiple dimensions and do not lend themselves to a spatial representation. New approaches to odor classification in the periphery, along with recent data on pyriform (olfactory) cortex developed in numerous laboratories regarding suggest novel solutions to this problem. These “olfactory solutions” may be seen operating in other brain systems as well.
From Vision to Decisions and Navigation in Mouse Cortex
Lecture
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
From Vision to Decisions and Navigation in Mouse Cortex
Prof. Matteo Carandini
University College London
As signals progress along the early visual system, they undergo a remarkable transformation. One synapse away from the eye, in Lateral Geniculate Nucleus, responses are still highly repeatable, and they can be predicted fairly well by simple model of image processing. One further synapse away, in Primary Visual Cortex (V1), responses become hugely affected by activity that originates within the brain, which varies from trial to trial, and can be closely related to behavior. For instance, a major factor that controls responses of neurons in the mouse visual cortex is locomotion. In mouse V1, locomotion changes the nature of spatial integration, reducing the strength of lateral interactions. Moreover, locomotion interacts with vision to affect responses during navigation, perhaps to help the animal estimate is own movement. In the parietal visual areas that follow V1 a further factor affecting responses is decision. The activity of neurons in those areas thus reflects the interactions of vision, decision, and navigation. Current efforts in our laboratory are aimed at studying these interactions.
How to scientifically study the functions of consciousness: in search of the right paradigm
Lecture
Monday, March 7, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
How to scientifically study the functions of consciousness: in search of the right paradigm
Dr. Liad Mudrik
School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience
Tel Aviv University
Abstract: Generations of scholars of different disciplines have struggled with the mystery of conscious awareness. How does it come about? And, no less importantly, what does it do? To meet the challenge of scientifically operationalizing this question, different experimental manipulations have been developed. With these methods researchers managed to demonstrate surprisingly high-level forms of unconscious processing, like semantic integration, executive control, emotional judgments, reading and arithmetic operations. Consequently, some have suggested that consciousness may not hold any unique functional role. In this talk, I will present experiments which employ such methods, and point out their implications and limitations. I will then introduce our search for new means to probe unconscious processes and examine consciousness' role in thought and behavior.
Sex differences in neuropsychological disorders: Why should we care?
Lecture
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
Sex differences in neuropsychological disorders: Why should we care?
Prof. Anat Biegon
Director, Center on Gender, Hormones and Health
Stony Brook University School of Medicine, NY
Gender differences affect the prevalence, presentation, treatment response and outcome of many neuropsychiatric disorders; including Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, depression and anxiety. However, despite a female majority among sufferers of these disorders, women were historically excluded from clinical trials; and the overwhelming majority preclinical studies on disease mechanisms and new drug development are conducted exclusively on males. Consequently, women are 50% more likely than men to experience adverse drug reactions, and between 1997 and 2001, 80% of the drugs removed from the market were specifically implicated in adverse side effects or deaths of female patients.
Drawing on examples from diverse neuropathologies, the talk will describe the current status and the future potential of research and education on gender based medicine; aiming to level the field and gain insight into the influence of sex an gonadal hormones on CNS physiology and pathology.
The interplay between social arousal and social memory: lessons from the social brain
Lecture
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
The interplay between social arousal and social memory: lessons from the social brain
Dr. Shlomo Wagner
Sagol Dept of Neurobiology
University of Haifa
The ability to distinguish between individuals of the same species is the basis for all mammalian social relationships. This ability, termed social recognition memory (SRM), is mediated by a specific network of limbic areas in the brain, and is modulated by several neuromodulators, such as oxytocin and the CRH-related peptide urocortin-3. I will discuss behavioral and electrophysiological data suggesting a role for arousal-driven theta rhythmicity in this neural network during acquisition of social memory. I will also discuss the contributions of oxytocin and urocortin-3 to the social memory and the relationship between them. Finally, I will discuss a possible role for emotional states in cognitive processes such as learning and memory.
On the dual role of IGF-1 receptor in information processing at hippocampal synapses
Lecture
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
On the dual role of IGF-1 receptor in information processing at hippocampal synapses
Dr. Inna Slutsky
Dept of Physiology and Pharmacology
Sackler School of Medicine
Tel Aviv University
The insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling is a key regulator of lifespan, growth, and development. While reduced IGF-1R signaling delays aging and Alzheimer’s disease progression, whether and how it regulates information processing at central synapses remains elusive. Here, we show that presynaptic IGF-1Rs are basally active, regulating synaptic vesicle release and short-term plasticity in excitatory hippocampal neurons. Acute IGF-1R blockade or transient knockdown suppresses spike-evoked synaptic transmission and presynaptic cytosolic Ca2+ transients, while promoting spontaneous transmission and resting Ca2+ level. This dual effect on transmitter release is mediated by mitochondria that attenuate Ca2+ buffering in the absence of spikes and decrease ATP production during spiking activity. We conclude that the mitochondria, activated by IGF-1R signaling, constitute a critical regulator of information processing in hippocampal neurons by maintaining evoked-to-spontaneous transmission ratio, while constraining synaptic facilitation at high frequencies. Excessive IGF-1R tone may contribute to hippocampal hyperactivity associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
The neurobiology of visual search in barn owls
Lecture
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Hour: 12:30
Location:
Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture Hall
The neurobiology of visual search in barn owls
Prof. Yoram Gutfreund
Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa
Nature has created mechanisms to detect salient objects like food, prey or mates. Visual search is the process of shifting gaze from one salient object to another. It has both a stimulus driven bottom-up component as well as a task-driven top-down component. This is well studied in human and primates but not so much in other animals. It is, therefore, a challenge to increase our understanding of visual search in non-primate animals. The barn owl is a predator having frontally oriented eyes, but lacking eye movements. Because of such specializations, this bird offers itself for the study of visual search. We study mechanisms of visual search in this animal on both the behavioural and neurophysiological levels. In this talk I will present our main findings on these matters.
Pages
2016
All events, 2016
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