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SUMMARY:Understanding the emergence of neural population dynamics underlyi
 ng behaviour - Juan Alvaro Gallego
DTSTART:20221129T140000Z
DTEND:20221129T150000Z
UID:TALK193313@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Guillaume Hennequin
DESCRIPTION:The analysis of neural population activity during behaviour co
 nsistently uncovers low-dimensional mathematical structures that capture a
  large fraction of neural variability. These structures or “neural manif
 olds” are defined by the dominant patterns of covariation across neurons
 . Remarkably\, recent studies focusing on neural manifolds and the activit
 y within them –the “latent dynamics”– have shed light into questio
 ns about cognition\, motor control\, and learning that had remained elusiv
 e when focusing on the activity of individual neurons.\n\nIn this talk\, I
  will discuss some of our ongoing efforts to understand the emergence of t
 hese population-wide activity patterns using a combination of recordings f
 rom monkeys\, mice\, and humans\, as well as computational models. First\,
  I will discuss our recent work on how animals consistently perform the sa
 me behaviour on different days\, and how motor cortical populations drive 
 a variety of behaviours\, which animals learn to adapt in the face of a pe
 rturbation even after a few attempts. Next\, I will show that\, even if ea
 ch animal has a brain that is unique\, individuals from the same species t
 hat are engaged in the same behaviour share preserved latent dynamics. Thi
 s suggests that evolution by natural selection may act upon the brain by s
 pecifying circuits that enable the generation of the appropriate latent dy
 namics to support species-specific behaviours.\n \nThus\, the study of neu
 ral manifolds and their associated latent dynamics provides insights into 
 how individual animals consistently and flexibly perform a variety of beha
 viours\, and may enable comparative studies across groups of individuals f
 rom the same of even different species. 
LOCATION:CBL Seminar Room (in person)\, Engineering Department\, 4th floor
  Baker building
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