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Welcome to our ABC Seminars! This seminar series is open for everyone. The talk will take place in . After the talks, coffee and pulla will be served.

The event will be also streamed via Zoom at: 

Title: Thalamic regulation of prefrontal dynamics for cognitive control

Abstract:

Interactions between the thalamus and cortex are critical for normal cognition. Although classical theories emphasize its role in transmitting signals to or between cortical areas, recent studies show that the thalamus modulates cortical function through additional mechanisms. In this talk, I will discuss findings that highlight the role of the mediodorsal (MD) thalamus in regulating prefrontal excitatory/inhibitory balance and effective connectivity during decision making. I will present recently published data showing that the MD thalamus dynamically adjusts prefrontal evidence integration according to incoming stimulus statistics. I will also present unpublished data, using a hierarchical decision making in Tupaia, showing how the thalamus may be a nexus for connecting uncertainty computations to strategy adjustment through optimal credit assignment. Given that MD-PFC interactions are known to be perturbed in schizophrenia, these findings may be relevant to suboptimal management of uncertainty that leads to aberrant beliefs. If time allows, I will present collaborative work in that domain.

Biosketch:

My lab studies the circuit mechanisms underlying cognitive control and flexibility; how the brain generates adaptive behaviors based on an internal model of the world. Our major contribution to the field has been the discovery of a clear non-relay function of the thalamus; the control of task-relevant cortical dynamics and effective connectivity (Schmitt et al., 2017 Nature; Rikhye et al., 2018 Nature Neuroscience; Mukherjee et al., 2021 Nature). Our discoveries are enabled by an integrative approach; we combine well-parametrized behavioral tasks with neural recordings and temporally-precise manipulations. While our past work has focused on mice due to the circuit-dissection tools, we have recently developed tree shrews (Tupaia Belangeri) as a model for cognition where we can push cognitive behaviors beyond what can be achieved in rodents but maintain circuit-level readout and control. In addition to our core mission, we have active collaboration in the computational, human cognitive and translational domains. In the computational domain, our work with Zhe Chen at NYU aims to build neural models capable of revealing mechanisms underlying thalamic control of cortical dynamics. In the human cognitive domain, our collaborations with Kai Hwang at Iowa and Burkhard Pelger at Bochum translate our animal tasks to human ones in order to perform fMRI and examine generality of neural mechanisms. In the translational domain, our collaboration with Neil Woodward at Vanderbilt applies similar principles to the study of schizophrenia patients.

I have recently assumed the directorship of the Neuroscience Center at the University of Helsinki and plan to establish partnerships across the Helsinki area in the domains of research and education.