MC 5501
Speaker
Lai-Sang YoungÌý | New York University
Title
Dynamical systems, statistical mechanics and the brain
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The cerebral cortex is a thin layer of neural tissue in the mammalianÌýbrain. It plays key roles in sensory processing, thought, memory, andÌýother conscious behaviors. In this talk, I would like to proposeÌýa mathematical idealization of a part of the cerebral cortex, depictingÌýit as a structured network of interacting neurons. It is an attempt toÌýconceptualize cortical dynamics, and to do so in a way that is consistentÌýwith neuroanatomy and physiology. Local circuits will be studied asÌýdynamical systems, while individual layers of different cortical areasÌýwill be treated borrowing ideas from nonequilibrium statistical mechanics.ÌýI will try to convey the flavor of the dynamics on the neuronal level,Ìýand use a biologically-constrained, omputational model of theÌýmonkey visual cortex to illustrate activity on a larger scale as cortexÌýresponds in real time to certain visual stimuli.Ìý