MAR 14, 2018 6:00 AM PDT

Mapping Cerebellum-to-Forebrain Connectivity Using Optogenetics and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Speaker
  • Paul Mathews, PhD

    Investigator & Co-Director of the Neurotherapeutics IWI, Lundquist Institute (Formerly "LA BioMed"); Assistant Professor, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Department of Neurology
    BIOGRAPHY

Abstract

Complex animal behavior is produced by dynamic interactions between discrete regions of the brain. As such, defining functional connections between brain regions is critical in gaining a full understanding of how the brain generates behavior. Evidence suggests that discrete regions of the cerebellar cortex functionally project to the forebrain, mediating long-range communication potentially important in motor and non-motor behaviors. However, the connectivity map remains largely incomplete owing to the challenge of driving both reliable and selective output from the cerebellar cortex, as well as the need for methods to detect region specific activation across the entire forebrain. I will discuss a combined optogenetic and fMRI (ofMRI) approach to elucidate the downstream forebrain regions modulated by activating a region of the cerebellum that induces stereotypical, ipsilateral forelimb movements. In this talk I will demonstrate that a single discrete region of the cerebellar cortex is capable of influencing motor output and the activity of a number of downstream forebrain as well as midbrain regions thought to be involved in different aspects of behavior.


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MAR 14, 2018 6:00 AM PDT

Mapping Cerebellum-to-Forebrain Connectivity Using Optogenetics and Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging



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