Lost in Space: The Navigation System in a Fly Brain
Professor Barry Dickson
Queensland Brain Institute
University of Queensland
Title: Lost in Space: The Navigation System in a Fly Brain
Abstract: The 2014 Nobel Prize recognized the discovery of the place cells in the hippocampus and grid cells in entorhinal cortex. Location and heading signals such as these enable spatial navigation. It is proving challenging, however, to figure out how the mammalian brain generates and uses these signals. In 2015, cells encoding the animal’s heading were identified in the fly. Recent work from others is elucidating how heading information in the fly brain is generated in response to both visual and self-motion cues. Our own work is revealing the steering mechanisms that couple these heading signals to course control. A detailed mechanistic explanation is thus emerging of how the fly’s brain solves the navigational tasks needed to exploit a familiar environment or explore an unfamiliar one.
About Neuroscience Seminars
Neuroscience seminars at the QBI play a major role in the advancement of neuroscience in the Asia-Pacific region. The primary goal of these seminars is to promote excellence in neuroscience through the exchange of ideas, establishing new collaborations and augmenting partnerships already in place.
Seminars in the QBI Auditorium on Level 7 are held on Wednesdays at 12-1pm, which are sometimes simulcast on Zoom (with approval from the speaker). We also occassionally hold seminars from international speakers via Zoom. The days and times of these seminars will vary depending on the time zone of the speaker. Please see each seminar listed below for details.
