Physics Colloquium

Prof. Ila Fiete, Dept. of Neuroscience and Center for Learning and Memory, UT Austin

"Mechanisms underlying cognitive computations in the brain"

4:00pm, The John A. Wheeler Lecture Hall (RLM 4.102). Coffee and cookies will be served at 3:45pm in RLM 4.102

Abstract: Systems neuroscientists seeks mechanisms underlying the operation of neural circuits for perception, memory, integration, planning, decision making, and motor control. Low-level sensory and motor circuits have historically been the focus of study because their inputs or outputs are relatively easily quantified and manipulated while recording from neurons in the circuit. Higher-level circuits removed from the sensory and motor peripheries have been slower to yield their secrets.

I will introduce and discuss the neural circuit for spatial memory and navigation, including head direction cells, place cells, and grid cells. I will argue that grid cells, with their striking geometric spatial responses, may present a unique window for seeing how the cortex performs cognitive computations. I will describe progress on understanding the mechanisms behind the grid cell response, through theory, nonlinear dynamical models, and quantitative analysis of neural data. I will conclude with the outlook for the next 5-10 years, in how a "physicists' toolkit" and perspective can contribute to understanding how complex computations are performed in the brain.