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Yiota Poirazi

 

 

(http://www.imbb.forth.gr/people/poirazi/drupal/?q=node/2)

Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology

 

Wednesday 7th November 2012

Time: 4pm

 

B10 Basement Seminar Room

Alexandra House, 17 Queen Square, London, WC1N 3AR

 

 

CODING WITH DENDRITES

 

Panayiota Poirazi, Principal Researcher

Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB), Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), Heraklion, Crete, GREECE
poirazi@imbb.forth.gr

The goal of this presentation is to provide a set of predictions generated by biophysical and/or abstract mathematical models regarding the role of dendrites in information coding across three different brain regions: the hippocampus, the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. Towards this goal I will present modelling studies –along with supporting experimental evidence- that investigate how dendrites may be used to facilitate the coding of both spatial and temporal information at the single cell, the microcircuit and the neuronal network level. I will first discuss how the dendrites of individual CA1 pyramidal neurons may allow a single cell to discriminate between familiar versus novel memories and propagate this information to down stream cells [1]. I will then discuss how these dendritic nonlinearities may enable stimulus specificity in individual PFC pyramidal neurons during working memory [2] and underlie the emergence of sustained activity at the single cell and the microcircuit level [2,3]. Finally, I will present findings from our ongoing work regarding the role of dendrites in shaping the formation of fear memory engrams in the amygdala [4].

1. Pissadaki, E.K., Sidiropoulou K., Reczko M., and Poirazi, P. “Encoding of spatio-temporal input characteristics by a single CA1 pyramidal neuron model” PLoS Comp. Biology, 2010 Dec;6(12): e1001038.
2. Sidiropoulou, K. and Poirazi, P. “Predictive features of persistent activity emergence in regular spiking and intrinsic bursting model neurons” (PLoS Comp. Biology, 2012 April; 8(4): e1002489)
3. Papoutsi, A., Sidiropoulou, K., and Poirazi, P. “Temporal Dynamics Predict State Transitions in a Prefrontal Cortex Microcircuit Model.” (submitted)
4. Kastelakis G, Sidropoulou K and Poirazi P “Modeling the fear memory trace”, Hellenic Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting, October, 2010.

 

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