Brains are made of cells and cells perform all sorts of computations. So in my lab we study neuronal computation from a molecular, as well as a circuit, perspective. We use the reproductive behaviors of Drosophila to gain access to small populations of neurons with strong effects on behavior and work to understand the molecular and circuit mechanisms that endow those populations with their specific functions. I will describe how this strategy led to the discovery of the first neuronal interval timer, as well as a phenomenon we call an eruption, which functions like an action potential at the network level. I will show how these new mechanisms of molecular computation are providing insight into diverse brain processes in our lab and suggest how they can help us understand data from other labs.
Those wishing to meet the speaker should contact Kevin M. Cury in the Axel Lab.
The Columbia Neuroscience Seminar series is a collaborative effort of Columbia's Zuckerman Institute, the Department of Neuroscience, the Doctoral Program in Neurobiology and Behavior and the Columbia Translational Neuroscience Initiative, and with support from the Kavli Institute for Brain Science.