Jan Ache

Jan Ache

Neurobiology and Genetics, Julius Maximilians Universität Würzburg, Germany

Neuronal mechanisms for sensorimotor flexibility in Drosophila.

To ensure survival in an ever-changing, complex world, animal behavior needs to be flexible and adaptive. Nervous systems have evolved to enable behavioral responses to a wide variety of sensory stimuli, but the adequate response to a given stimulus is highly context-dependent, and behavioral or internal states accordingly affect sensorimotor processing. For example, locomotion modulates responses of visual neurons, and hunger increases food-searching behavior and shifts taste preferences. Despite their ubiquitous importance, the neural mechanisms enabling context-dependent sensorimotor flexibility are not well understood. My lab aims to shed light on these mechanisms by leveraging the power of neurogenetics, electron microscopy-based circuit reconstruction, and in-vivo patch-clamp recordings in behaving Drosophila. In this talk, I will first focus on the key role descending neurons play in selecting contextually appropriate behaviors. Second, I will discuss our efforts to develop a better understanding of the complex arsenal of modulatory neurons in the brain, and their role in conferring flexibility to sensorimotor circuits.

Invited by Tihana Jovanic

The event is finished.

Date

Sep 02 2022
Expired!

Time

11h00
Category

Organizer

JOVANIC Tihana

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