Functional Logic of Neural Circuits: Diamonds in the Rough (FLNDR2023)
Attendees of this meeting are generally performing research that applies emerging technology and computational approaches from diverse fields to interrogate the functional logic of neural circuits and behavior. This is an innovative new research community studying well-described neural circuits in experimentally tractable animal models. This year’s workshop seeks to motivate and strengthen this community through presentations and discussion that focus on current challenges in cross disciplinary circuits research, such as the application of computational approaches to connectomic, neurophysiological, and behavioral data. Our goal is to bring together motivated participants who previously attended this workshop, along with new participants who are interested in forming collaborative efforts that overcome these challenges.
Wednesday, Feb. 22
Day 1. Participants present challenges. 15-minute presentation and discussion of a challenge that the speaker’s research program needs to overcome, or ambitious visions that might require collaborations. Each speaker can use that time as they like (e.g. 5-10 min and rest for discussion). Presentations and discussions moderated by the speakers (* are remote, all times are at PR: AST GMT-4).
08:00 AM - 09:00 AM Breakfast at Salon Pauli where we will also have the presentations
09:00 AM - 9:10 AM
Andrew Seeds: Opening remarks
09:10 AM - 10:20 AM Emerald
Gal Haspel: It is time to reverse engineer a nervous system
Leslie Kay: Olfactory neurodynamics and cognitive health
10:20 AM - 10:45 AM Coffee break
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM Sapphire
Auke Ijspeert*: Using robots and neuromechanical simulations to investigate interactions between central pattern generators and sensory feedback
Ellie Heckscher: From stem cell to motor circuits
Kanaka Rajan: Will there be a unifying theory of learning, remembering, and deciding?
12:00 PM - 01:15 PM Lunch at Salon Pauli
01:15 PM - 02:30 PM Ruby
Eve Marder: Dealing with parallel pathways in circuit analysis
Steve Flavell: Brain-wide Representations of Behavior Spanning Multiple Timescales and States in C. elegans
Netta Cohen*: A worm's eye view
03:05 PM - 03:15 PM Break
03:15 PM - 04:30 PM Topaz
Alfredo Ghezzi: Neural modulation by alcohol exposure in Drosophila
Kenta Asahina: Neuropeptidergic control of “hanger” in the fruit flies
Florian Engert*: TBD
Jacob Manjarrez: Prospect for a C. elegans reverse circuit bias with normalization across trials
Horacio Rotstein: Neuroscience Modeling: Integrating Dynamics & Statistics / Opening the Black Box
04:30 PM - 04:45 PM Coffee break
04:45 PM - 06:00 PM Free time Salon Paoli and the seating outside are available, including coffee and cold drinks. Old San Juan is also very nice.
06:00 PM Unorganized dinner
Thursday, Feb. 23
Day 2. Presentations continue and general discussion. Short presentations will cultivate a round table discussion.
08:00 AM - 09:00 AM Breakfast at Salon Pauli
09:00 AM - 9:05 AM
Andrew Seeds: Second day Remarks
09:05 AM - 10:15 AM Amethyst
Gert Cauwenberghs*: Neuromorphic accelerators and silicon models of neural circuits
Aurel A. Lazar: The Functional Logic of Odor Information Processing in the Drosophila Antennal Lobe
Ann Kennedy: Neural encoding of motivational states that regulate survival behaviors
Eduardo Izquierdo: The Whole Worm: Brain-Body-Environment Models of C. elegans
10:20 AM - 10:45 AM Coffee break
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM Diamond
Hillel Chiel*: Prospects for predicting neural and behavioral activity: A case study
Alex Gomez-Marin*: Neuroscience needs behavior, but what does behavior need?
Monika Scholz*: Comparative foraging: You are what you eat
Pavan Ramdya*: Reverse-engineering Drosophila action selection and motor control
12:00 PM - 01:15 PM Lunch at Salon Pauli
01:15 PM - 02:30 PM Turquoise
Mitra Hartmann*: Body mechanics in the study of neuroscience and the Sim2Real problem
Andrew Leifer*: How do you relate structure and function of a nervous system?
02:30 PM - 03:00 PM Break
03:00 PM - 04:15 PM Discussion session
Compile a list of challenges that were identified in the previous day. Groupings of challenges? And organize workgroups for Friday, including specific goals and products. Potential challenges and ideas for collaborations
04:15 PM - 04:45 PM Coffee break
04:45 PM - 05:45 PM Free time
06:00 PM Organized dinner at the Cannon Club
Friday, Feb. 24
Day 3. Group brainstorming, drafting, outlining products.
Split into groups and discuss:
Collaborations. Outline collaborative grants.
Future workshops. Grant ideas for future meetings, workshops, or research projects.
Ideas for writing products that came from the meeting.
Discussions with program officers.
08:00 AM - 09:00 AM Breakfast at Salon Pauli
09:00 AM - 10:15 AM Third day Remarks and Workgroup session 1: TBD
10:15 AM - 10:45 AM Break
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM Workgroup session 2: TBD
12:00 PM - 01:15 PM Lunch at Salon Pauli
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM Workgroup session 3: TBD
Some participants will have to leave earlier on Friday.
5th Puerto Rico Mini-brains Symposium
Saturday, Feb. 25
If you are interested in attending this meeting or want more information, please contact Andrew Seeds (seeds.andrew@gmail.com).