Dean BUONOMANO, professor of psychology and neurobiology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

The ability to tell time, represent and encode temporal information, and use past experiences to predict the future, are among the most fundamental computations the brain performs. But how do networks of neurons tell time and encode temporal information in a flexible manner? Precisely because of the importance of time, we argue that most neural circuits are capable of temporal computations. But in contrast to the clocks on our wrists that rely on the same mechanism to tell time across a wide range of scales, the brain engages many different mechanisms and circuits to tell time. We and others have proposed that on the scale of seconds timing relies on neural population clocks: time-varying patterns of neural activity that emerge from the dynamics of recurrent neural circuits. More generally, we propose that such dynamic regimes represent a fundamental computational strategy in the brain.

A full audience round table is planned, followed by a coffee break where you will be able to meet the speakers individually.

Find more informations on NeuroStra website ! 

Join us and come to vote for the next board, everyone is welcome !

• If you are curious to see the activity/moral report
• If you love money and want to know more about the financial report
• If you have any propositions/suggestions for the coming year
• If you want to be part of the next board

Bio: Philipp Sterzer is a psychiatrist, neurologist and neuroscientist who trained in Frankfurt am Main, London and Berlin and held a professorship for psychiatry and computational neuroscience at Charité Berlin from 2011 to 2022. Recently, he was appointed Professor of Translational Psychiatry at University of Basel, Switzerland. His work focuses on the investigation of predictive neural processes in perception and their alterations in psychotic disorders using functional neuroimaging and computational modeling among other methods. Along with numerous articles in scientific journals and textbooks, he recently published “Die Illusion der Vernunft”, a popular science book on delusions and other irrational beliefs.

Program of the week:

Monday 4th - 4pm: M2-PhDstudents meet up (Jardin du palais Universitaire)

Thursday 7th - 5pm: M1-M2 meet up (grass behind INCI)

Friday 8th - from 12am: Pic-nic, Rallye & party  (Jardin du palais Universitaire & The people Bar-7 rue de la Krutenau)

This event will feature the latest scientific and clinical developments in pain assessment and treatment, mood disorders and comorbidities, pain evaluation and technologies (programme below).

The number of participants will be limited to 70, therefore registration is MANDATORY.
Please REGISTER HERE before 25.05.2023. 

Location
Doctoral College
Amphitheatre – Ground Floor
46 boulevard de la Victoire – 67100 Strasbourg

We've got an amazing line-up of Ph.D. students, engineers, and PIs who will be sharing their latest findings on various subjects in a chill and relaxed atmosphere.

So what are you waiting for? Come and join us for a night of brain-tingling fun and excitement!

See you there!

How different complex features of the dynamics emerge from a given structural connectivity (SC) is of great interest for our understanding of brain function, in health and disease. Among the complex dynamical features that are commonly described, the continuously evolving correlation patterns of the brain (Functional Connectivity Dynamics, FCD) has been extensively characterized and described as a marker for aging and psychiatric disorders. More recently, the existence of high-order interdependencies of either synergistic or redundant types has also been shown to change with aging, with brain activity from older healthy subjects showing more redundancy. To understand how different topological features of the structural connectome can be related to these features of the functional connectivity, we built a set of 240-node structural connectomes with varying degrees of integration and segregation, assessed with metrics from network analysis. These connectomes included artificial networks such as Watts-Strogatz or modular networks, and empirical human connectomes that were perturbed to manipulate their integration and segregation measures. The set of over 40 SCs spanned a broad range of the small-world coefficient omega, sweeping from lattice-like to small-world to random-like networks. Then the SCs were used to simulate neural activity using a Wilson-Cowan model modified with homeostatic inhibitory plasticity, to ensure an oscillatory regime over a wide range of the global connectivity parameter G. Then, the simulated activity was assessed for the FCD, using the variance of the FCD matrix as an index for dynamical richness, and for the emergence of synergistic interdependencies, by randomly sampling groups of 3, 4, or 5 nodes. The nature of the high-order dependencies was assessed using the O-information metric, that is negative for systems dominated by synergy and positive for those with more redundancy. In all the networks, the higher variance of FCD and the most synergistic n-plets were found at an intermediate value of G, were the metastability is also high and the network synchrony is moderate. When looking at the structural features, the networks that maximized both complex dynamical features were those having a positive omega index but close to zero. This indicates networks of the small-world type, which have a balance between their integration and segregation metrics. Our results are in agreement with what has been observed in the brain SC and its dynamics as the brain ages.

The Scheiffele group uses an in vivo cell biology approach to uncover mechanisms of neuronal network formation in health and disease. They are seeking to understand molecular mechanisms of synapses formation, developmental remodeling, and plasticity. They apply a broad range of molecular, anatomical, imaging, electrophysiological, and behavioral assessments in rodents. A particular focus is on mRNA alternative splicing and translation, and its dysregulation in autism spectrum disorders. Based on the insights in developmental studies, the Scheiffele lab is developing therapeutic strategies using small molecules and splicing therapeutics for genetically-defined neurodevelopmental conditions.

See also: https://www.biozentrum.unibas.ch/research/research-groups/research-groups-a-z/overview/unit/research-group-peter-scheiffele

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Comité d'Animation et de Communication  Scientifique de l'INCI
Amandine Bery, Caroline George, Jennifer Kaufling, Marie-Pierre Laran-Chich, Hervé Cadiou, Stéphane Gasman, Yannick Goumon & Antoine Valéra

As a reminder, these are events where (neuro)science students & postdocs can present their techniques and projects, in an informal setting, usually with a drink in hand. 

This Neurotech seminar is scheduled on Wednesday, April 5th at the K'fet des Sciences on the campus Esplanade, from 7:30 pm. The event is free and will be held in English.

Our extraordinary speakers are:

Following up on this exciting seminar, Doctoneuro’s cohesion team will follow up on this sciency session with a Disco Fluo party to enjoy the rest of the night.

Food and drinks will be available, you can finally pay by card!