"SPECIAL SEMINAR: Collective oscillations, neural codes, and how single-cell properties affect population behavior"

 

ABSTRACT:  

 

Populations of cells exhibit a remarkable diversity of behaviors, from the reliable development of multicellular structures to complex coding in neural ensembles. Proper characterization of these phenomena requires an  understanding of how dynamics at the single-cell level, when combined with intercellular signaling and environmental cues, give rise to the collective behaviors observed in populations. First, I will present results characterizing the signaling dynamics in individual cells of social amoebae, and discuss cell density-dependent transitions to synchronized oscillations. I will then consider population coding in retinal ganglion cells. We have found a novel mechanism to compensate for temporal delays due to upstream processing that emerges from the combined effect of single cell properties and direct electrical coupling. Finally, I will present a new model for the activity of a large population of ganglion cells that emphasizes the role of higher-order correlations.

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