Upcoming Institute of Neuroscience Seminar & CSN Fest

Marta Zlatic, PhD

Group Leader
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology
UK Research and Innovation - University of Cambridge

Seminar:  "How we learn, predict and decide: the circuit basis of behaviour"

Thursday, June 10th, 2021 at 1 PM PDT

Career Discussion with ION Trainees

Friday, June 11, 2021 at 1 PM PDT

Host:  Emily Heckman 

Zoom access for both events provided via ION mailing list

Learning, predicting, and deciding are fundamental brain functions essential for survival across the animal kingdom. Despite decades of investigation, we do not understand the rules governing biological intelligence. A major obstacle to progress has been the inability to determine the architecture of the circuits that implement these functions and to relate the architectural motifs to their function.  To overcome this obstacle we have established the Drosophila larva as a powerful genetic model system, ideally suited for relating the structure of neural circuits to their function. In this system it is possible to map circuits with synaptic resolution and to record and manipulate the activity of uniquely identified neurons to determine their roles in behaviour. Both vertebrates and insects have evolved higher-order centres specialized in forming large numbers of associative memories. To investigate the organizational logic of the learning centre in the insect brain, we have mapped its complete wiring diagram at synaptic resolution. Our EM reconstruction revealed multiple novel circuit motifs that provide clues about learning and decision-making models and their neuronal implementation. The highly recurrent nature of the learning circuit suggests learning is heavily regulated by previously formed memories. How quickly, and how well, an animal learns therefore depends on what it already knows. Using functional imaging and behavioural experiments, we are starting to identify neurons that compute predicted values and select actions. I will discuss the key findings from these studies and our ongoing work to elucidate the basic principles by which brains learn, predict, and decide.

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