Linking Neural Circuits and Behaviour

A major challenge in system neuroscience is to understand how the mammalian brain support sensory perception and stores/recalls information that are necessary to the elaboration of an optimal action in an ever-changing environment. Cross-disciplinary technologies have provided unprecedented tools for mapping, visualizing and functional probing of single neural circuit in freely moving animals.

Thus, it is now possible to link complex cell circuit activity to specific behaviour, ranging from precise visualization of cellular, synaptic or dendritic activities to opsin-based activation/silencing in freely moving animals performing specific tasks. Integration of multimodal strategies – including electrophysiology, cellular imaging, behaviour – now allow both correlational and causal dissection of the brain, and, ultimately allow for more naturalistic, physiologically-relevant, understanding of single circuit integration into brain-wide assemblies supporting brain functions.

The goals of this advanced Cajal course is to provide an in-depth exposure to current technologies in neurosciences. This will include hands-on training in state-of-the-art methods including optical microscopy, electrophysiology, optogenetic in freely behaving animals and functional imaging in human. Emphasis will be put on new methods for connectivity tracing, recordings and analysis of multichannel unit and local field potential data in behaving animals and data presentation.