BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:CANCELLED Patterned optogenetics to probe perceptual representatio
 ns - Dr Edmund Chong\, Sainsbury Wellcome Centre
DTSTART:20260119T161500Z
DTEND:20260119T171500Z
UID:TALK240958@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Sonu Kurien
DESCRIPTION:Object recognition requires mapping variable sensory inputs to
  stable object identities\, defining how input variations preserve identit
 y or represent related versus unrelated objects. These mappings often gene
 ralize rapidly to novel examples under minimal learning. To study how the 
 brain uses generalizable structure for odor object recognition\, we used o
 ptogenetically-driven “synthetic odors”—allowing precise\, parametri
 c variations—while measuring perceptual responses in mice\, and separate
 ly\, recording from odor object cortex. We found that odor recognition was
  best explained as the matching of spatio-temporally defined features in i
 nput activity. Additionally\, cortical activity in naïve animals containe
 d structured representations that precisely anticipated perceptual judgmen
 ts in trained animals. This structure was absent in randomly-initialized r
 ecurrent network models and input patterns themselves\, and was best descr
 ibed by low-dimensional hyperspheric geometry\, ideal for rapid learning a
 nd generalization. These results reveal a pre-existing neural scaffold for
  object recognition that supports flexible and generalizable learning. Our
  synthetic approach reveals the fundamental logic of the olfactory code an
 d provides a general framework for testing links between sensory represent
 ations and perception.
LOCATION:Hodgkin Huxley Seminar Room\, Physiology Building\, Downing Site
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR