Seminar: "Reprograming of neuronal microcircuits with single cell resolution." by Dr Carrillo Reid

TITLE: Reprograming of neuronal microcircuits with single cell resolution,

Abstract:
Neuronal ensembles are groups of cells with coordinated activity that represent specific features of sensory stimuli, cognitive functions or motor procedures. The functional connectivity of these ensembles gives rise to activity patterns that generate an internal representation of external stimuli. In this way the interaction with the surrounding world is based on the recalling of neuronal ensembles that make use of imprinted patterns of activity stored in several brain microcircuits. However, whether it is possible to imprint and recall artificially created neuronal ensembles has been difficult to investigate. In this talk I will describe state of the art optical and analytical tools used to activate specific neuronal populations termed photoensembles whose members can be identified and manipulated with single cell resolution. Recurrent activation of the same photoensembles imprinted them in cortical microcircuits. Once established, single neuron photostimulation is able to recall a complete ensemble. Artificially imprinted photoensembles can be used to alter behavioral tasks. Our findings demonstrate the possibility to study behavioral correlates of cortical microcircuit reconfiguration with single cell resolution.