Objective
Many of our most common behaviors, such as reaching out to grasp an object or turning towards something of interest, require that we transform visual information into a representation that guides action. In humans and other mammals, key steps in this transformation take place in the cerebral cortex, by the cooperative action of multiple cortical areas. How does this cooperation occur? The classical hypothesis holds that cortical areas act in series, each performing a unique step of the transformation and passing on the result, like workers on an assembly line. In an alternative hypothesis the transformation occurs in a distributed fashion, with multiple cortical areas participating jointly in each step. In this hypothesis each area may function more like people lifting a table together by its sides.
To test these competing hypotheses, I propose to record simultaneously from populations of neurons in six key cortical areas in mice performing a visual discrimination task. The task is designed to separate and quantify the contributions of each area to visual perception, decision-making, and action. The results will distinguish between the two competing hypotheses and reveal the distinct – or shared – roles of each cortical area. Then, I will put these conclusions to the test by silencing neurons in each of three areas and comparing the effects of inactivation on behavior. Together these experiments will reveal the fundamental mechanisms of how cortical circuits cooperate to produce visually-guided behaviors.
I will perform these experiments in the Cortical Processing Laboratory at University College London, led by Kenneth Harris and Matteo Carandini.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine neurology dementia alzheimer
- social sciences sociology social issues social inequalities
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine psychiatry schizophrenia
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2014
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
WC1E 6BT LONDON
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.