Distinguished Lecture Series: Bruno Averbeck (London)
Nota bene:
There will be an opportunity for doctoral candidates to meet with Bruno Averbeck on Friday, 15 May, 10.00-11.00.
Venue: Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Luisenstraße 56, seminar room 144, 10117 Berlin
Abstract for talk: Selecting appropriate sequences of actions on the basis of previous feedback is critical to solving diverse real-world problems from navigating to work to choosing a career path. We have been studying this problem using single-unit and brain imaging approaches. At the single-unit level we have found an explicit, ensemble neural code in lateral prefrontal cortex that we can use to track the learning of sequences of actions. This code represents cognitive knowledge of individual sequences and evolves during acquisition to indicate how well a new sequence has been learned. We have also studied a related process with magneto-encephalography (MEG). With this tool we have been able to identify a signal which also tracks learning. Unlike the single unit signal, however, this signal does not explicitly relate to the sequence being learned. Rather it relates more abstractly to how well any of the sequences have been learned.
