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SUMMARY:Synaptic mechanisms of sensory perception
DTSTART:20121119T121500
DTEND:20121119T131500
DTSTAMP:20261005T123452Z
UID:60b2481d61b20cf55b0c58f405f2568804940de353354cb2dd9b8146
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Dr Carl Petersen\, EPFL /FSV/BMI/LSENS\nSensory percepts are i
 nternal constructs generated by the activity of neurons in complex neural 
 networks distributed across the brain. Experimental investigation of perce
 ption in animals requires behavioral report of subjective sensory experien
 ce. The simplest forms of sensory perception can be regarded as transforma
 tions of sensory information into learned motor outputs. The aim of my lab
 oratory is to probe the synaptic mechanisms driving neural circuit functio
 n during learning and execution of simple goal-directed sensorimotor trans
 formations. We train mice to detect tactile whisker stimulation and to rep
 ort perceived stimuli by licking to obtain a reward. We correlate behavior
 al performance with the activity of genetically-defined cell-types measure
 d through whole-cell membrane potential recordings\, two-photon imaging an
 d voltage-sensitive dye imaging. We perturb the function of genetically-de
 fined cell-types through optogenetics. Our experiments begin to shed light
  on the causal mechanisms underlying simple forms of sensory perception an
 d associative learning.
LOCATION:SV 1717 A
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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