Guest lecture by Philippe Coulon (Seattle Children's Research Institute)


Start date: 09/09/2016
Start time: 10:00 am
End time: 11:30 am
Organizer: BrainLinks-BrainTools
Location: Seminar Room Ground Floor, Zentrum für Neurowissenschaften, Albertstr. 23

BrainLinks-BrainTools is inviting all members, colleagues and friends to a guest lecture given by Dr. Philippe Coulon from the Seattle Children's Research Institute (USA): 

State Regulation in the Thalamocortical System - From Molecules to Networks

Setting the rhythmic activity of neuronal networks is vital to central nervous system function. One of the most important networks for the generation of rhythmic electrical activity in the mammalian brain is the thalamocortical system. Impaired rhythmogenesis in this system is associated with epileptic seizures, insomnia, narcolepsy, pain, schizophrenia, and attention deficits. The thalamus is considered to be an interface between sensory perception and conscious awareness: During deep sleep for instance, it can decouple all sensory information from the cortex by inducing and/or maintaining synchronous burst activity. A similar mechanism of thalamocortical synchrony is associated with seizures in absence epilepsy. The aim of my work was to find common mechanisms of rhythmogenesis in sleep-wake-regulation, anaesthesia, pain perception, epilepsy, and selective attention, in order to improve our understanding of rhythmic activity in the thalamocortical system, and ultimately reveal new strategies for controlling rhythmogenesis. The focus of this talk will be on results obtained with two-photon calcium imaging, and, after briefly introducing this exciting technique, I will present examples of Ca2+-dependent mechanisms that contribute to setting the state of activity in the thalamocortical system.

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