Abstract:
Peripheral visual circuits perform paradigmatic computations such as motion processing. However, our understanding of the necessary and sufficient roles of individual cell types, their interactions, and the molecules that underpin their specific activity patterns remains limited. Our work combines genetic manipulations of both neural activity and molecular function with in vivo imaging of calcium and voltage signals to unravel circuit mechanisms using the Drosophila visual system as a model. Our results reveal that the algorithms used to detect visual motion in flies and humans are fundamentally similar.

Speaker:
Thomas R. Clandinin, Ph.D., is the Shooter Family Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University. He received a MSc from the University of Calgary, and a Ph.D. in Biology from the California Institute of Technology in 1998. The Clandinin lab combines genetic approaches with imaging and analytical techniques adapted from systems neuroscience to determine how neural circuits wire up, process visual information, and maintain their function across adult life. Dr. Clandinin’s honors include an NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, a career development award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, a Searle Scholar Award, a Sloan Research Fellowship, and a Scholar Award from the McKnight Foundation.

Boxed lunch will be provided