Uploaded July 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Joshua Goldberg is visiting OIST from 2024-06-26 until 2024-09-03 through the "Theoretical Sciences Visiting Program" (TSVP). Find out more about the TSVP on the program website:
oist.jp/visiting-program.
Title: What They Didn’t Tell Us in Computational Neuroscience 101: Studying Nonlinear Dendritic Integration and Network Entrainment in Pacemaking Neurons
Abstract: To simplify the description of neurons, neuroscience students are taught that neurons have a resting membrane potential (RMP), and require excitatory synaptic input to drive them to action potential threshold. Then, to simplify how neurons function in networks, neurons are treated as iso-potential (point-like) entities connected by synaptic weights. The first simplification is a prejudiced view that disregards diverse and ubiquitous classes of autonomously pacemaking neurons (that do not possess a stable RMP) in the brain. The second simplification disregards the complexity that dendrites add to the functions and calculations carried out by neurons. In my talk, I will describe my research that is aimed at making the contribution of dendrites to the response properties of pacemakers amenable to experimental investigation with currently available electrophysiological and optogenetic techniques. I will begin by introducing how the phase reduction formalism, provides a general framework for studying pacemakers, and present a recent study on how the framework explains spike correlations that appear in parkinsonism. I will then present how we used this formalism to study the role of dendrites in pacemaking neurons in the basal ganglia. We show that dendrites have a direct impact on how neurons encode their inputs and are entrained by them, and that we can use our formalism to probe the dendritic distribution of membrane non-linearities.
Profile: Dr. Joshua A. Goldberg is an associate professor of medical neurobiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. His research focuses on the pathophysiology of movement disorders, most prominently Parkinson’s disease (PD). He combines advanced electrophysiology and imaging techniques both in vivo and in vitro with computational approaches to study how the physiology of neurons leads to their vulnerability in early statges of PD and how brain networks dynamics adapt to PD. He is a past recepient of a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator grant and a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) grant with Dr. Jeff Wickens, OIST.
#OIST #OIST_TSVP #Neuroscience #Pacemaking #Neurons #Dendrites #Theoretical #Science #VisitingProgram #Okinawa #TSVP
Joshua Goldberg is visiting OIST from 2024-06-26 until 2024-09-03 through the "Theoretical Sciences Visiting Program" (TSVP). Find out more about the TSVP on the program website:
oist.jp/visiting-program.
Title: What They Didn’t Tell Us in Computational Neuroscience 101: Studying Nonlinear Dendritic Integration and Network Entrainment in Pacemaking Neurons
Abstract: To simplify the description of neurons, neuroscience students are taught that neurons have a resting membrane potential (RMP), and require excitatory synaptic input to drive them to action potential threshold. Then, to simplify how neurons function in networks, neurons are treated as iso-potential (point-like) entities connected by synaptic weights. The first simplification is a prejudiced view that disregards diverse and ubiquitous classes of autonomously pacemaking neurons (that do not possess a stable RMP) in the brain. The second simplification disregards the complexity that dendrites add to the functions and calculations carried out by neurons. In my talk, I will describe my research that is aimed at making the contribution of dendrites to the response properties of pacemakers amenable to experimental investigation with currently available electrophysiological and optogenetic techniques. I will begin by introducing how the phase reduction formalism, provides a general framework for studying pacemakers, and present a recent study on how the framework explains spike correlations that appear in parkinsonism. I will then present how we used this formalism to study the role of dendrites in pacemaking neurons in the basal ganglia. We show that dendrites have a direct impact on how neurons encode their inputs and are entrained by them, and that we can use our formalism to probe the dendritic distribution of membrane non-linearities.
Profile: Dr. Joshua A. Goldberg is an associate professor of medical neurobiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. His research focuses on the pathophysiology of movement disorders, most prominently Parkinson’s disease (PD). He combines advanced electrophysiology and imaging techniques both in vivo and in vitro with computational approaches to study how the physiology of neurons leads to their vulnerability in early statges of PD and how brain networks dynamics adapt to PD. He is a past recepient of a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator grant and a Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) grant with Dr. Jeff Wickens, OIST.
#OIST #OIST_TSVP #Neuroscience #Pacemaking #Neurons #Dendrites #Theoretical #Science #VisitingProgram #Okinawa #TSVP
![[Seminar] Making eDNA data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Cxb1RMoVpwE/mqdefault.jpg "[Seminar] Making eDNA data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)
Seminar title: Making eDNA data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)
Speaker: Dr. Miwa Takahashi, CERC Postdoctoral Fellow, Environomics Future Science Platform, NCMI | CSIRO
Friday, August 30, 2024 - 13:00 to 14:00
Environmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as a powerful monitoring tool for species detection and distribution mapping, with a remarkable surge in activity over the past decade. Metabarcoding studies have generated millions of DNA sequences with taxonomic assignments, while species-specific eDNA assays have produced comprehensive distribution maps for hundreds of taxa. Despite the widespread practice of data sharing upon publication, inconsistent data formats pose challenges for data reuse. To address this issue, the “Making eDNA FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable)” project has been launched. Our international, multidisciplinary working group, consisting of eDNA researchers, journal editors and biodiversity and omics data scientists, is developing best practice guidelines for eDNA data formatting and sharing. Our aim is to extend the eDNA data lifecycle, facilitating reuse and reanalyses of this invaluable biodiversity data resource. Please join our seminar to learn about the FAIR data principles and the project, and start our discussions on the bottlenecks, needs, and strategies to achieve FAIR eDNA!
https://groups.oist.jp/macc/event/seminar-making-edna-data-fair-findable-accessible-interoperable-reusable")
