Neuromodulation of Adaptive Learning: Theoretical Lessons Learned From Invertebrate and Vertebrate Brains (TP24NM)

We are excited to announce the TSVP Thematic Program "Neuromodulation of Adaptive Learning: Theoretical Lessons Learned From Invertebrate and Vertebrate Brains". The program will run from July 8 - August 11, 2024. All activities will take place at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST).

A symposium connected to the program will be held from July 8-12, 2024.

Title: Neuromodulation of Adaptive Learning: Theoretical Lessons Learned From Invertebrate and Vertebrate Brains

Abstract: In this thematic program, we will focus on how the multiscale organization of neuromodulatory systems affects real-time adaptation and meta-learning by shaping micro and mesoscale connectivity in various invertebrate and vertebrate species - cephalopods, songbirds, rodents, primates and humans. The program will bring together a critical pool of experimentalists and theoreticians to discuss how neuromodulators dynamically regulate local and inter-areal connectivity, synaptic plasticity and neuronal excitability in biological neural networks across animal species. A crucial goal of our program is to utilize the  biological know-how on rich spatio-temporal patterns of connectivity to develop new theories, which  could lead to the development of “neuromodulation-aware” artificial neural networks to enable real-time adaptation, and therefore, continual learning.

Program coordinators

Srikanth Ramaswamy, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
Arvind Kumar, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Upi Bhalla, National Institute of Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India
Vatsala Thirumalai, National Institute of Biological Sciences, Bangalore, India

Confirmed Participants

Ali Mohebi, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Anita Disney, Duke University
Eric Shea-Brown, University of Washington
Ewa Bogacz, University of Oxford
Gilad Daniel Silberberg, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm
James Shine, The University of Sydney
Jessica Cardin, Yale University
Joshua Johansen, RIKEN Center for Brain Science
Kenji Morita, The University of Tokyo
Michael Higley, Yale University
Mitsuko Uchida, Harvard University
Naoshige Uchida, Harvard University
Nelson Totah, University of Helsinki
Rishikesh Narayanan, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
Sho Yagishita, University of Tokyo
Thomas John McHugh, RIKEN Center for Brain Science
Thomas Parr, Oxford University
Yanfeng Zhang, University of Exeter
Yulong Li, Peking University