Neuroscience seminar: Synaptic Dynamics

Dr. Reza Khanbabaie

Assistant Professor- Babol Noshirvani University of Technology &

University of Ottawa

 

"Synaptic Dynamics and Sensitivity of Brain to Motion"

 

 

 When: December 22nd, 2015(Day 1, 1394). 11:45 A.M

 Where: Ferdowsi University of Mashhad- Faculty of Science-Amphitheater #1

 

Poster...

Abstract:

   

Motion perception in the brain has multiple complexity and is the current subject of many research fields including Neurophysics. To understand the underlying mechanism of motion perception in the brain independently of the cues that define the moving object, we have examined the cellular properties of avian wide-field tectal neurons that are sensitive to a variety of moving stimuli but not to static stationary stimuli. This in vitro study showed phasic signal transfer at the retinotectal synapse and binary dendritic responses to synaptic inputs that interact in a mutually exclusive manner in the postsynaptic tectal neuron. A model of the tectal circuitry predicts that these two cellular properties mediate sensitivity to a wide range of dynamic spatiotemporal stimuli, including moving stimuli, but not to static stationary stimuli in a tectal neuron. In addition, the motion detection is independent of stimulus details.